16 July 2026
Russian authorities have launched a campaign to prioritize fuel supplies to Moscow, siphoning gasoline from outlying regions, which are introducing restrictions on gas stations one after another—from QR codes to sales on even and odd days.
Despite the shutdown of the Kapotnya refinery, which provided up to 40% of the capital’s fuel consumption, as well as strikes by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on nearby refineries in Ryazan and Yaroslavl, Moscow remains the region with the most affordable gasoline, according to calculations by Sberbank, Alfa Bank, and T-Bank ( published by Mediazona).
For example, in the capital, 85% of gas stations sold fuel at least once during the day on July 13-14, while on average, every third gas station nationwide is out of gasoline (the share of active stations is 67%).
In some regions, about half of the gas stations are out of service: Crimea, the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, and Chukotka (50% of stations are active); Yakutia and the Kirov region (55% of gas stations are open). In the Tambov, Bryansk, and Arkhangelsk regions, as well as in the Mari El Republic and Kalmykia, 60% or less are open.
Moscow has minimal queues at gas stations: at 40% of open stations, fewer than five cars are waiting for gas, notes Janis Kluge, an expert at the German Center for International Security Studies. Overall, only 20% of gas stations in large cities have no queues, and in Rostov, Novorossiysk, Lipetsk, Tver, and Yekaterinburg, for example, the figure is less than 10%. Moscow and St. Petersburg are a priority, Kluge notes, citing data from the service “GdeBenz.”
Since early May, gasoline distribution has been under the government’s “manual control,” with the government holding almost daily meetings with oil companies to issue orders for priority shipments—for example, to grocery retailers. According to Reuters sources, gasoline production currently covers only two-thirds of domestic consumption: approximately 80,000 tons per day, compared to demand of up to 120,000 tons. According to
Energy Intelligence, oil refining volumes in Russia in July fell to 3.53 million barrels per day, which could be the lowest level since at least 2002. This is 30% lower than the July 2025 level. Energy Intelligence estimates that the current shortage of petroleum products in Russia is reaching 400,000-600,000 tons per month.
https://ru.themoscowtimes.com/2026/07/16/benzin-sovsei-rossii-nachali-svozit-vmoskvu-a201034
Moscovia has always been the black hole of mafia land. The regions outside of this cesspool were always there to service it, to be drained of their resources and to be virtually raped. The biggest majority of its meat puppets come from these regions. So, it’s no wonder that yet another resource is being pumped into the city to satisfy its ghouls and zombies.