San Francisco Frontiers - In Moscow, Russians worry about new fuel shortages

Earlier in the summer, most of Russia was gripped by shortages and rationing after Ukrainian drones smashed into major oil refineries -- retaliatory strikes hailed by Kyiv as a way of bringing the four-year war home to ordinary Russians.

The situation had eased at the end of July, but queues and local shortages of some fuel types have reemerged in Moscow in recent days.

Ukraine last week hit a major refinery in Yaroslavl, north of the capital.

"And what if the Yaroslavl refinery shuts down for good?" asked Dmitry, visibly annoyed as he filled up his Lexus after a 15-minute wait at a petrol station in eastern Moscow.

"We'll be facing gridlock and bottlenecks all over again," the business owner, in his sixties, told AFP.

Like most who AFP spoke to, he declined to give his surname to speak about issues connected to the war.

At several Moscow stations, AFP saw dozens of cars lined up waiting for fuel.

The scarcity is far from critical.

Some places were out of certain blends, but there was no signs of mass shortages.

Anna, who works in education, said she just returned to Moscow after a holiday.

"The fuel problems are definitely back ... What can we do?" she asked.

Taxi driver Nursultan Akhmadov, 33, has also noticed problems.

"The lines are starting to build up again. And notice that petrol prices aren't coming down -- they're actually going up."

Pavel, 43, was less concerned.

"Either you panic, or you adapt to the circumstances," he said, sipping a coffee inside a service station.

"Moscow has to be Russia's shop window," he added, suggesting the authorities would never let the capital run dry.

At one point in early July, some 90 percent of Russia's regions had imposed limits on fuel purchases -- mostly imposing maximum volume rules -- according to AFP calculations based on local announcements.

At another gas station, 32-year-old Semyon, was worried for the fate of his Mercedes if he had to fill up with lower-grade fuel.

"I risk ending up with an expensive repair for my car, but there's nothing I can do," he said.

Taxi driver, Nursultan Akhmadov from Kyrgyzstan, said the petrol woes added to the rising cost of living in Russia.

"Everything keeps getting more expensive -- it's not just petrol, it's groceries and utilities too."

"It's time for me to head back home," he said, adding with a smile that it would be definitive. "In fact, I've already bought my tickets and I'm leaving in 10 days."

U.Campbell--SFF