Yaroslav Konoshchuk19:59, 27.10.25

According to local residents, there is no gasoline even at the gas stations of the largest oil companies.

The gasoline crisis in Russia, caused by Ukrainian drone strikes on local refineries , is gaining momentum. Gas stations in the Sverdlovsk region have stopped selling 95-octane gasoline, The Moscow Times reports .

According to local residents, it is impossible to refuel not only at private gas stations, but also at those of Russian energy giants—Gazprom, Rosneft, and Lukoil. 

“We’re having some kind of fuel supply problem in our city. I visited three gas stations this morning, and they’re all out of 95 octane and G-Drive,” said one Yekaterinburg resident.

Another driver reported that many people were driving around in circles looking for gas, but to no avail. At one gas station, she was told there was no fuel at the depot, so everyone was “sitting around sad.”

Amid fuel shortages, a resident of the Sverdlovsk region wrote on social media that an ambulance had been refused due to a gas shortage. She said the dispatcher told her they were currently only responding to emergency calls to conserve fuel. 

However, the Sverdlovsk Region Anti-Terrorism Commission denied that ambulance crews were selective. 

“All residents of the region are receiving full medical care, including ambulance services, in accordance with established procedures,” Anti-Terror Ural said in a statement.

Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries

As is known, Ukraine has intensified its attacks on Russian oil refineries . One of Russia’s largest oil refineries has shut down due to a drone attack. The refinery in question is the Novokuibyshevsk refinery in the Volga region, which is owned by the Russian company Rosneft.

On October 11, long-range drones from the Special Operations Center “A” of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) carried out a fire strike on the Bashnafta-UNPZ oil refinery. It is located in Ufa (Republic of Bashkortostan), 1,400 kilometers from Ukraine. According to preliminary information, after the SBU SOC “A” drone strike , a fire broke out near the ELOU-AVT-6 crude oil refining unit.

In total, since the beginning of August, Ukraine has carried out at least 28 strikes on key Russian oil refineries.

Ukrainian drone strikes brought Russia, on the one hand, a gasoline crisis that spread to dozens of Russian regions. At the same time, oil exports rose to a 16-month high.

(C)UNIAN 2025