Leningrad Region authorities acknowledge fuel crisis, propose rationing amid “nuclear” lines at gas stations

Leningrad Region Governor Alexander Drozdenko has addressed the fuel crisis in a video message to residents, acknowledging the long lines and shortages at gas stations. He proposed an alternating schedule for filling up vehicles with odd and even license plate numbers, hoping to reduce peak demand. The issue stems from recent drone attacks on oil refineries, which have reduced production of 92 and 95 octane gasoline.

While diesel is available, authorities are restructuring fuel supply chains with other refineries, though this process takes time. They anticipate new supplies reaching the region by early October, and hope refineries will resume operations after repairs. Drozdenko expressed concern over his daughters not being able to fill up their cars, likening the situation to being "in the line of a nuclear attack."

The GdeBenz mapping service has reported severe shortages, with only a few percent of stations in St. Petersburg operating. Users have described waiting for up to five hours to fill up, and one woman spent the night at a gas station, only to be told she couldn't fill up with the fuel available. Despite these challenges, fuel began appearing early Monday morning, though the lines were still long.