(MOSCOW) – Russia is experiencing a severe fuel crisis, with motorists facing long queues, low quality petrol damaging vehicles, and major oil refineries burning after repeated Ukrainian drone strikes.
Across multiple regions, drivers report shortages of 95 octane fuel, with some stations dispensing 76 octane petrol that has destroyed modern car engines. One motorist described how his vehicle was towed to a repair shop after filling up. “They finished the job and told me that they have put 76 octane gasoline in my car instead of 95 octane,” he said.
The low grade fuel, which is no longer produced in most countries, ignites prematurely in modern engines, causing knocking and potentially destroying pistons and valves.
In Taganrog, a man brought a bed to a petrol station queue, anticipating a wait of several hours. On the 350 kilometre Rostov to Stavropol highway, motorists reported no fuel available anywhere along the route.
“Gasoline situation from Rostov to Stavropol. There is no gasoline anywhere. Absolutely none. I stopped at the Gazprom station in Medvedovskaya. They said tomorrow. Then I stopped at the Rosneft station at Salsk roundabout. They say it tomorrow. In short, there is no gasoline,” one driver said.
In Yekaterinburg, aerial footage showed three lanes of vehicles queuing for a single petrol station. Similar scenes have been reported across the country.
The crisis follows sustained Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil infrastructure. On 27th August, drones struck an oil terminal in the port area of St Petersburg for at least the third time this summer, setting fuel silos ablaze.
On 28th August, the Yaroslavl oil refinery, one of Russia’s largest with a capacity of 300,000 barrels per day, was hit again. The facility refines approximately 15 million tonnes of crude oil annually. Footage showed motorists queuing for fuel while filming the refinery burning in the distance.
“They’re filming their very own reason why they’re in a fuel line in the first place. They’re filming it because the oil refinery is burning,” one observer noted.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak acknowledged the situation. “We are indeed entering what would be called a second stage of tense situation in the market,” he said. Novak claimed that a number of oil refiners would return online after maintenance, but did not mention the drone strikes.
He also confirmed that regulations had been relaxed to allow production of lower grade Euro 2, Euro 3 and Euro 4 fuel, raising concerns about further damage to vehicles.
Data from Kepler indicates Russian refineries processed approximately 3.8 million barrels per day in July 2026, the lowest level in more than two decades. Normal levels between 2020 and 2025 ranged from 5.3 to 5.6 million barrels per day, representing a decline of roughly 30 percent.
Since August 2025, at least 25 different Russian oil refineries have been struck. Analysts say the pattern follows a cycle of strikes, repairs, partial recovery and further strikes. The Yaroslavl refinery alone has been hit five times, and the Moscow refinery in Bashkortostan three times.
The crisis has produced extraordinary scenes. In one city, an individual was filmed filling a plastic bag with petrol and placing it in a car boot. In another, an entire police force was seen queuing for fuel after priority vouchers were reportedly cancelled.
In Chelyabinsk, motorists queued in lines stretching one and a half kilometres while nearby pumps stood empty. One driver broke from the queue and refuelled immediately, while thousands of others continued waiting.
Footage of the strikes and fuel queues was circulated on social media channels.
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