Photo: EPA
Russia's deepening fuel crisis has forced authorities to restrict public transport in several regions, while the Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk has suspended open fuel sales, allowing gasoline purchases only through special fuel vouchers.
According to the city's municipal administration, gasoline is no longer available at local filling stations for the general public. Fuel vouchers can only be obtained by businesses and individual entrepreneurs that have contracts with fuel suppliers, and they may be used exclusively for company vehicles at designated stations.
Diesel fuel remains available, but only at eight filling stations in the city.
The shortage is also disrupting public transportation across Russia. Over the past two weeks, transport operators in 10 regions have reduced bus services, while fares have increased in several areas. Authorities have acknowledged fuel shortages as the cause in most cases.
The affected regions include Zabaykalsky Krai, Kaluga, Tula, Rostov, as well as Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine. Both long-distance and local routes have been impacted.
Russian media report that fuel sales restrictions are now in place in 60 of the country's 83 regions. In occupied Crimea, authorities have declared a state of emergency and warned residents that stable fuel supplies are unlikely to resume in the near future.
Fuel shortages and growing concerns over security have become two of the main domestic issues affecting public sentiment in Russia.
Over the weekend, Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged the fuel shortage but did not explain its causes. According to The Wall Street Journal, the crisis has intensified just as Russia enters its parliamentary election campaign, creating additional political pressure on the Kremlin.
