A deep fuel crisis threatens to destabilize the social climate in the Russian Federation. Kilometer-long queues, nerves stretched to the limit, and regular fights have been reported at gas stations across the country, following systematic drone attacks by Kiev that have severely affected the Russian oil infrastructure and refineries.
For the average Russian citizen, the effects of the “special military operation” are beginning to translate into hours or even days of waiting for a few liters of gasoline. As the war of attrition dictated by Vladimir Putin shows its teeth on the domestic front, the frustration of the population is growing, and the first cracks in the general support for the Kremlin leader are starting to become visible.
“Stop this senseless conflict”
Field reports describe a grim reality. In Siberia, a 29-year-old woman, Tania, recounted that she waited no less than 13 hours to manage to fill only half a tank. In a rare display of public revolt, she directly criticized the Russian president’s decisions: “He should stop this senseless conflict and let us live normally.”
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Desperation has turned queues into real urban conflict zones. In the mining town of Serov (Sverdlovsk region), the police were alerted after a driver physically assaulted a woman in an attempt to cut in line. Similar violent scenes were filmed in Ryazan, as well as in Siberia, where social networks were filled with recordings of drivers insulting and fighting each other at gas stations.
Furthermore, the scarcity has reactivated organized crime networks. In several regions, mafia groups have instantly taken advantage of the crisis, buying massive stocks to resell them at a surcharge, often triple the market value.
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