Saturday, August 22, 2026 10:00:08 AM

A gasoline shortage has hit Moscow, with fuel availability dropping by 73%—an unprecedented situation for the Russian capital. Russia is experiencing a second wave of its fuel crisis, with charts indicating a widespread systemic failure.

Nationwide, only 28% of gas stations have fuel, while in Moscow the rate is down to just 23%.

Data from the Russian app GdeBENZ show a sharp plunge in gasoline availability across the country. At the beginning of August, fuel could be found at around 40% of stations in the app’s database. By August 19, that figure had fallen to 28% (a 72% drop). The lowest point was recorded on August 18—just 27%. Such numbers represent an all-time low in modern Russian history.

The service compiles data from user reports: Russians indicate whether a specific gas station has fuel and if it can be accessed without long waits. As a result, these figures reflect real-world gasoline availability rather than official data, offering a clearer picture for ordinary drivers.

Two distinct crisis waves appear on the app’s charts. The first “gasoline collapse” struck in June, followed by a second surge in mid-August. Across Russia, the share of stations with fuel dropped from about 40% to 28%—a plunge of more than six percentage points in just one week. The decline in Moscow and its surrounding region has been especially steep.

In the Moscow region, fuel availability tumbled from 62% on August 6 to 23% on August 19. Within the city itself, it fell from 53% to 20%. This means gasoline is now available at only about one in every five or four gas stations tracked by the app—even in the capital, which is usually better supplied than other parts of the country.

Other regions are also struggling. On August 19, fuel was available at just 17% of stations in Krasnodar Krai, 18% in Voronezh region, 21% in Penza region, 23% in Rostov region, and only 15% in Arkhangelsk. Even regions faring comparatively better remain far below normal: Chelyabinsk region at 34%, Nizhny Novgorod region at 35%, and Perm Krai at 33%.

Analysts say this trend is troubling for the Kremlin: the fuel crisis no longer looks like a one-off glitch. After brief improvements, the market is faltering again. Russian officials may talk about “balancing,” “maintenance,” and “redistribution.” However, user-driven data tell a different story—fuel is becoming increasingly inaccessible for ordinary motorists.

A Ukrainian drone was recently reported to have struck a major oil refinery in Tatarstan, while pro-war Russian bloggers have sounded the alarm over gasoline shortages in the country.

(C)UAWIRE 2026