Putin finds a new culprit for Russia's fuel crisis
Photo: Vladimir Putin (Getty Images)
Russia is indeed facing fuel problems, but responsibility for resolving them lies with the Cabinet of Ministers led by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, according to Russian president Vladimir Putin.
The Kremlin chief did not hide the fact that Russia is facing fuel problems, but effectively shifted responsibility for resolving them to the government.
According to Putin, a special commission has been set up to address the situation and is already working on the problem. He did not explain what exactly the commission is doing.
Interestingly, the Russian dictator refused to acknowledge the gasoline shortage in Russia as a serious crisis, despite the fact that it has affected more than 70% of Russian gas stations.
Putin claimed that for the public, it is merely "some inconvenience," while the government is responsible for managing the situation.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said the day before that Russia's fuel market had entered a "second stage of tension."
According to the latest data, restrictions on gasoline sales were in effect in 63 of Russia's 85 regions. Another 19 regions reported localized fuel shortages or higher prices.
The situation on Russia's fuel market began to deteriorate following a new series of Ukrainian attacks on oil refineries.
In the first half of August, at least nine facilities with a combined refining capacity of 145 million tons per year came under attack. At least four refineries were forced to halt operations.
Ukraine's Defense Forces recently also attacked one of Russia's largest oil refineries in Nizhnekamsk, the TANЕCO refinery.
