Russia’s Fuel Crisis Spreads to Moscow
Russia’s fuel shortages have now reached the capital, a striking sign of strain in what has long been a pillar of the Kremlin’s economic strength. Drivers in Moscow and Saratov are facing an acute lack of AI-95 gasoline, one of the country’s most widely used high-octane fuels, according to Russian media.
At numerous filling stations in both cities, AI-95 has disappeared entirely. Motorists have been forced to queue for hours or switch to lower-grade AI-92, despite warnings that prolonged use could damage engines built for higher-octane fuel.
A System Under Pressure
For Moscow, the shortage is more than an inconvenience: it is symbolic.
“When the capital runs out, it shows the system itself is failing,” one Russian analyst observed.
Officials have linked the problem to a seasonal surge in demand as transport companies and private drivers increase consumption. But the structural drivers go far deeper. Ukrainian drone strikes have disabled at least 27% of Russia’s refining capacity since the start of 2024.
Facilities at Ilsky, Tuapse, Ryazan, Novokuibyshevsk, and Nizhny Novgorod have all been hit, removing an estimated 70 million tons of annual processing capacity from the market.
Ukraine’s latest strike on September 7 destroyed the ELOU-AT-6 complex at the Ilsky refinery in Krasnodar, capable of handling 6 million tons of crude per year. The attack further tightens supply at a time when Russia is attempting to maintain both domestic deliveries and export commitments.
Official Assurances, Public Shortages
Russia’s Energy Ministry said the situation remains “under control,” and that measures are being taken to stabilize deliveries of AI-95. Authorities in Moscow and Saratov urged drivers to remain calm and check availability before traveling.
But reports from both cities describe widespread closures of AI-95 pumps, with many stations dry for days. Drivers complain of crisscrossing entire districts in search of fuel. The contrast between official messaging and on-the-ground reality is widening.
Strategic Consequences
Moscow has already banned exports of gasoline in an attempt to preserve supply, but shortages in the capital reveal the limits of those measures. With refining infrastructure under sustained attack and revenues squeezed, Russia faces a dual challenge: keeping its domestic market stable while funding its war effort through energy sales abroad.
What began as a regional disruption in southern Russia has reached the country’s political and economic core. The Kremlin can no longer dismiss the fuel crisis as temporary — it is spreading, and its impact is becoming impossible to conceal.
