Russia sends teachers and officials to police fuel stations amid nationwide gasoline shortage

Russia is confronting a severe gasoline shortage after Ukrainian drone attacks crippled eight of its ten largest refineries, cutting national refining capacity by about a quarter and reducing output to roughly 65% of domestic demand. The government responded with export bans on diesel, gasoline and aviation fuel and began importing fuel from Belarus and India.

To manage long queues, regions such as Krasnodar Krai, Oryol, Nizhny Novgorod, Mordovia, Astrakhan, Pskov, Lipetsk and Kirov introduced licence‑plate based rationing (odd/even days) and electronic registration. In many areas teachers on holiday and civil servants were assigned to fuel stations to calm drivers and oversee queues, receiving only tea and coffee. The measures attracted criticism on social media.

Authorities are also testing QR‑code sales and plan further import increases, but the crisis continues to cause extensive line‑ups and public discontent, with a single planned protest in Perm.