Gasoline Sales Restrictions Imposed in Several Russian Regions Russia’s fuel crunch has moved from abstraction to the pump: caps at gas stations, bans on canisters, and even total shutdowns in some regions, all wrapped in soothing official talk of “temporary difficulties” and “panic” rather than systemic shortage.

Officials: It’s panic, not collapse

Regional governors are publicly insisting they’re in control. In Vladimir region, Governor Alexander Avdeyev urged residents to drive less and buy gasoline “only in the amounts immediately necessary,” blaming the queues on “panic buying” sparked by logistics glitches at some firms rather than a deeper crisis. In Omsk, Governor Viktor Khostenko framed his ban on filling canisters and a 40‑liter cap per vehicle as a way to prevent “artificial panic at gas stations,” while diesel is rationed to 80 liters per fill‑up in town and 200 on highways.

Irkutsk’s governor says the region has been “forced to switch to manual management — determining fuel volumes for each recipient individually,” prioritizing emergency services, public transport, utilities and farm machinery. Saratov’s 30‑liter cap per car is likewise sold as a “necessary measure to reduce unwarranted panic and potential speculation in the fuel market.”

Independent media: It’s a real fuel crisis

Independent outlets describe something far more structural. Meduza notes that “several Russian regions impose restrictions on gasoline sales,” with Irkutsk, Omsk, Novosibirsk and Saratov all limiting purchases and banning canisters as part of a spreading fuel crisis. The Insider reports that in some areas stations have stopped serving the public altogether, and in annexed Crimea “all gas stations … completely ceased selling fuel” to civilians, reserving it only for state services.

Behind the rationing lies the war: Ukrainian forces have been “systematically striking Russia’s oil refining infrastructure,” forcing major refineries in central Russia to scale back or halt operations, according to Reuters reporting cited by Meduza. Another Meduza piece bluntly labels it a “fuel crisis,” tying purchase limits in 53 regions and occupied territories to Ukrainian drone attacks on refineries and depots.

Marketplaces: Locking down the grey market

Even the online workaround is being shut down. Meduza reports that “Russia’s three biggest online marketplaces ban fuel sales” — Avito, Ozon and Wildberries removed or blocked gasoline listings after an order from the Federal Antimonopoly Service, explicitly “to prevent speculative resale of fuel” and “speculation on essential goods.”

The contrast is stark: governors talk about calming nerves and fighting profiteers; independent outlets tally regions on rations and refineries under fire. Both can be true — but only one side is willing to call it what it looks like: a war‑driven fuel shortage rippling through Russia’s everyday life.