Massive queues of cars stretched to the horizon outside filling stations in southern Russia on Friday as a fuel crisis triggered by Ukrainian drone strikes on oil refineries and fuel depots spread across the country. Aerial footage circulating on social media showed an almost unbroken line of vehicles waiting to refuel along a highway. As Kyiv tries to pressure Moscow into making peace by striking Russia's energy infrastructure, the resulting damage has squeezed fuel supplies, leading to restrictions in most regions and simmering public frustration. Drivers have begun crowdsourcing maps and trading tips online about which filling stations still have fuel and where the shortest queues are. The shortages have also frayed tempers, with videos on social media showing motorists getting into fights as they wait to refuel. In one widely shared video titled "The Ultimate Luxury 2026," a man slowly pours petrol from a jerry can into his lawnmower before joking: "What riches. Who can afford this now?" Online searches in Russia for "how to siphon fuel" also surged, according to technology website iPhones.ru, which cited Yandex search data. Growing trouble The shortages are increasingly affecting Russia's agricultural heartland, where farmers fear they may be unable to harvest crops without adequate fuel. President Vladimir Putin acknowledged the problem this week, saying it was particularly important to maintain supplies to agriculture "because the harvest depends on it." The disruption has also reached public services. In the eastern Zabaikalsky region, authorities cancelled some bus routes and a waste collection company suspended services in four districts because of fuel shortages. Russia has responded with a series of emergency measures, including allowing refiners to produce lower-grade gasoline and diesel for six months, importing gasoline from India and arranging additional supplies from neighboring Kazakhstan. In the Black Sea resort of Anapa, authorities have even deployed Cossack volunteers to help police maintain order at petrol stations, where motorists are limited to buying 20 liters of gasoline per vehicle.
