4 July 2026
The fuel crisis caused by the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ strikes on Russian oil refineries is increasingly affecting life in Moscow, Russia’s largest metropolis and one of the largest in Europe, with a population of 13.3 million (or approximately 19 million if you include the Moscow region). Earlier this week, several major gas station chains, including Gazprom Neft, Lukoil, and Teboil, imposed restrictions on filling gasoline and diesel fuel in the same tank. Following this, queues of drivers began to form at some gas stations in the capital, as well as in other regions . Muscovites report that some stations are completely out of gasoline, and at those that do have fuel, they are forced to wait in lines ranging from 20 minutes to two hours.
“The situation is bad. There are queues everywhere. In some places, there’s no gas at all—you can drive past three gas stations that are completely out of gas. Then you stand in line—it could be an hour, two, or even 30 minutes, depending on your luck,” Moscow resident Maria told Reuters. She noted that she tries to use public transportation because fuel in the city is “terrible.” Against this backdrop, according to Mash, traffic jams in Moscow have increased by 15-20% in the past two weeks, as drivers “are increasingly stuck not only in traffic jams but also waiting for a free pump.” The channel claims that because of this, “localized traffic jams” are now occurring in some places even at night.
Traffic congestion has worsened most noticeably on the Garden Ring Road (Garden Ring Road) and the Third Ring Road (TTR), the southern and northeastern sections of the Moscow Ring Road (MKAD), as well as on Leningradskoe, Dmitrovskoe, and Volgogradskoe Highways, and Kutuzovsky Prospekt, Mash reports. In the region, traffic congestion due to queues at gas stations most often occurs along Novorizhskoe, Dmitrovskoe, Volgogradskoe, and Shchelkovskoe Highways. Some drivers are waiting in line to fill up, while others are driving to find an available station. As a result, morning and evening traffic congestion in the capital consistently reaches 8-10 points, and around 6 during the day.
In mid-June, Gazpromneft’s Kapotnya Oil Refinery (MOR) was hit twice by Ukrainian drones, causing massive fires. According to Reuters, this led to a complete shutdown of the refinery, and sources say it won’t be able to reopen until 2027. Other refineries supplying Moscow via pipelines, including those in Yaroslavl, Ryazan, and Kstovo, have also been hit by drone attacks in recent months.
A country without fuel will wither and die. Mafia land must die. The sooner, the better.