Fuel Rationing Reaches Moscow Amid 'Second Wave' National Shortages
Already Russia has been subject to many months of a ramped-up long-range drone campaign out of Ukraine, chiefly targeting oil refineries as well as industrial sites - and most recently expanding to online retail companies and attacks on private sector businesses.
Tuesday saw one of the single biggest drone waves on Moscow of the war, for example, with at least 600 sent against against the capital region, resulting in widespread panic and some casualties. Making matters worse for the Russian population, several gas station networks have introduced new restrictions on fuel sales - which is a rarity for the capital.
Gazprom Neft as well as Tatneft have confirmed via representatives and their customer service lines that limits have now been placed on petrol sales at Moscow filling stations.
Long lines of cars have been observed at filling stations in and around the capital city, with Reuters detailing the following:
- A customer hotline operator at Gazprom Neft said gasoline and diesel sales at the company's automated filling stations in Moscow were limited to 40 litres [10 gallons] per customer.
- At Gazprom Neft's other filling stations, diesel sales remain unrestricted, while gasoline purchases are capped at 60 litres per vehicle.
- Rosneft, Russia's largest oil producer, said gasoline sales at all its filling stations across Russia were limited to 30 litres per vehicle [about 8 gallons], while diesel sales faced no restrictions.
These companies have also been warning customers to be prepared for longer waiting times for fill-up due to heightened demand.
One reason being offered by Russian energy giants for the delays is "unscheduled refinery maintenance" - which is a vague but obvious reference to damage left in the wake of Ukraine's constant drone attacks on the nation's oil and refining infrastructure.
As for the latest attacks, on Wednesday it's being widely reported that Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery and a residential building in the republic of Bashkortostan, regional head Radiy Khabirov also confirmed.
The incident once again demonstrates the very far reach of Ukrainian drones, given that Bashkortostan is fairly remote from the Ukraine border, lying north of Kazakhstan.
Frustration returns at the pumps...
Russia’s fuel crisis is back—and so are the queues.
— New Eurasian Strategies Centre (NEST Centre) (@nestcentreorg) August 17, 2026
Recent videos show drivers waiting for petrol across Moscow and multiple Russian regions. In some places, frustration is spilling into fights at the pumps. 🧵
(Video: @ASTRA_PRESS) pic.twitter.com/6i06lHrAiY
"We're currently assessing the damage, but preliminary reports indicate that a unit undergoing maintenance was hit. As always, falling debris damages pipes, so there’s minor damage," Khabirov told TASS. "I expect everything will be repaired in a couple of days," the official added.
Starting late last week, Russian officials began openly acknowledging a renewed fuel shortage crisis. Oil companies are "taking the necessary measures to increase deliveries to the most vulnerable regions," a somewhat rare Kremlin statement said at the time. This current crisis has been deemed the 'second wave' fuel shortage to hit Russia.