Novosibirsk region urges remote work amid fuel shortage

After Ukraine struck the Omsk oil refinery in early July, fuel shortages spread to more than 90 % of Russian regions. In response, the regional government of Novosibirsk – home to almost three million people and a major Siberian industrial hub – issued a decree urging employers to switch staff to remote work and asking residents to limit travel by private car until the heightened alert is lifted.

Neighbouring Tomsk authorities issued similar guidance, recommending officials reconsider business trips and hold meetings online. The city of Irkutsk also called on workers to stay home. The measures come amid Ukraine’s intensified drone campaign against Russian energy facilities, which Kyiv says is intended to cut fuel supplies that fund Moscow’s war effort. Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged the shortages but described them as “not critical”.