Fuel shortage hits Russia again, with empty gas stations even in Moscow
Gasoline line at a Russian gas station (photo: Getty Images)
Social media is flooded with videos of huge lines for gasoline in Moscow, the Moscow region, and several other parts of Russia. Footage filmed on August 15-16 shows locals complaining about fuel shortages, according to Russian outlet ASTRA.
Where lines have formed
Long lines for gasoline have been reported in several Russian regions.
They were seen in Moscow and the Moscow region, including in the settlement of the Lenin State Farm. In Tambov region, people were waiting for fuel trucks at Rosneft gas stations. Locals said diesel fuel was available, but 95-octane gasoline was nearly impossible to find, while 92-octane gasoline was available at only one or two gas stations within a 600-kilometer radius.
Lines were also reported in Tula, Voronezh, Rostov, and Samara regions. On the M-4 Don highway in Rostov region, around 200 cars were reportedly waiting in line at a gas station.
#Fuel crisis in #Russia began to worsen in late June 2026, when #gasoline prices hit a 20-year record, while shortages and rationing were reported in 75% of the country's regions pic.twitter.com/dA2iK3D3rv
— RBC-Ukraine (@NewsUkraineRBC) August 16, 2026
What eyewitnesses say
ASTRA says locals in the videos make no attempt to hide their confusion and panic. One Moscow resident, driving past a gas station, described the situation this way:
"There's another line for gasoline. Everything is quiet and calm, but the lines are terrible, there's no gasoline, and the situation is getting worse. What's going on?" she said.
Gasoline shortage in #Russia reaches #Moscow: social media flooded with videos of long lines
— RBC-Ukraine (@NewsUkraineRBC) August 16, 2026
Videos showing long lines at gas stations and gasoline shortages have begun appearing widely across #Moscow and other Russian regions pic.twitter.com/CrE15zY9La
A resident of Krasnogorsk in the Moscow region, who filmed another line, called the situation "an insane ordeal."
#Fuel crisis in #Russia began to worsen in late June 2026, when #gasoline prices hit a 20-year record, while shortages and rationing were reported in 75% of the country's regions pic.twitter.com/dA2iK3D3rv
— RBC-Ukraine (@NewsUkraineRBC) August 16, 2026
As previously reported, Russia's fuel crisis began to worsen in late June 2026. At the time, gasoline prices hit a 20-year record, while fuel shortages and rationing were reported in 75% of the country's regions.
The real cause, which Russian authorities are keeping quiet about, is strikes on oil refineries, which have caused domestic fuel production to fall by about a quarter.
