Shocking footage has emerged showing desperate motorists brawling in queues at petrol stations across Russia as Vladimir Putin was forced to acknowledge the country is facing shortages.In Moscow, two women waiting in a queue were filmed screaming at each other after one accused the other of cutting in line. '**** you! I'll smash your face in!' one of them shouts.Another video from the western city of Ryazan shows two men engaging in an intense fistfight outside a petrol station until someone intervenes.In a third video, filmed in the town of Serov, a woman is seen with a bloodied nose after a man allegedly punched her and violently attacked both her and her companion during a fight over fuel.It comes as Putin acknowledged that the country was suffering from 'a certain shortage' of fuel in an interview published by the Kremlin Sunday, after repeated Ukrainian strikes in their four-year war.'As for strikes against critical infrastructure in general, and energy infrastructure in particular, of course these attacks on our infrastructure facilities create problems, that's obvious,' said Putin.'Right now we're observing a certain shortage, but it's not critical.' In Moscow , two women waiting in a queue were filmed screaming at each other after one accused the other of cutting in line Another video from the western city of Ryazan shows two men engaging in an intense fistfight outside a petrol station In a third video, filmed in the town of Serov, a man allegedly violently attacked two women during a fight over fuelThe authorities in Russian-annexed Crimea on Friday declared an 'emergency situation' over fuel shortages and power cuts triggered by Ukrainian attacks on its logistics chains and oil facilities.A few hours earlier, in a speech to the United Russia party congress, Putin had vowed to ensure security and overcome challenges as Ukraine steps up its retaliatory strikes inside Russia.'Yes, we see the problems, we are aware of them and are responding to them, but we will certainly ensure the security of both the country and our citizens, as well as the inviolability of Russia's borders,' Putin told party members.'We will undoubtedly overcome all the challenges facing us today, including terrorist attacks on our territory and infrastructure facilities,' he added.Kyiv calls the attacks fair retribution for Russia's near-daily barrages on Ukrainian civilians and energy infrastructure since its February 2022 offensive.The main task now, he said, was to increase Russian anti-aircraft defence capacity and to ensure fuel supplies, particularly to Crimea.Crimean Moscow-installed governor Sergey Aksyonov said on Friday: 'A decision has been made... to sign decrees declaring a regional-level emergency situation in the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.'The emergency situation would allow for a 'rapid resolution of tasks related to ensuring the stable operation of all sectors', Aksyonov said in a Telegram post.In the interview, Putin also said he was expecting a team of US negotiators to come to Moscow to discuss ending the Ukraine war, once Washington was no longer so preoccupied with Iran and the Middle East conflict.Putin's speech came hours after a Ukrainian drone strike killed one person in Russia's southern Krasnodar region and sparked a fire in a refinery, according to regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the hit part of the 'operations that weaken Russia's ability to wage this war'.'The Slavyansk oil refinery in the Krasnodar region was hit - about 300 kilometres from the frontline. 'We also reached a refinery in the Yaroslavl region, approximately 700 kilometres from our border,' Zelensky said on X Sunday.Last week, another Ukrainian attack caused a major fire at a refinery southeast of Moscow, shrouding the capital's suburbs in plumes of thick black smoke.Turning to the possibility of talks to end the war with Ukraine, Putin said that 'we expect that after all the events are over, after the active phase on the Iranian track has passed, we will see the arrival of those representatives of the US administration with whom we have already met in Moscow repeatedly.'This part of his interview with Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin was not published by the Kremlin but cited by Russian news agencies. 'We are ready to continue negotiations and discuss all the details,' he added.Putin was responding to a question on the state of Russian-US relations after the G7 summit in France, when US President Donald Trump said Russia should 'make a deal with Ukraine'.On Wednesday, Trump said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was doing well in the war against Russia, having previously said he lacked the 'cards' to win.Analysts say Ukraine is increasingly holding up well on the battlefield but its cities are still the target of deadly Russian attacks in a conflict that has now lasted longer than World War I.Meanwhile, over the weekend, Ukraine unleashed a huge barrage of 660 drones in a major nighttime attack across Russia in the latest humiliation for Putin.It appeared to be one of the biggest drone attacks on Russia and the illegally annexed Crimea since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago.The previous biggest Ukrainian attack over the past year was 556 drones on May 17.In an effort to turn the tables on Russia's grinding war of attrition, Ukrainian long-range drones have for months been battering targets, including oil production and energy facilities, behind the front line and deep inside Russia.The campaign has choked Russian fuel supplies and military deliveries, stalling Moscow's efforts on the battlefield, Western officials and analysts say, and heaping pressure on Russia's President Putin. Rescue workers put out a fire at a building destroyed after a Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Friday, June 26 Usually Russia's Defence Ministry does not state what was targeted in Ukraine's drone attacks, nor does it detail any damage.Ukraine's Security Service said it used drones to strike Russian navy ships and air defence radars in Kerch, an important port city in Crimea.The targets were two reconnaissance and mine-laying ships, the Volga and the Vyatka, and the cargo-passenger ferry Petropavlovsk, the agency said, claiming that the strikes started a large fire. The claim could not be independently verified.The major attack came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X that he had ordered 'a 40-day influence operation,' believed to mean an escalation of attacks, aimed at 'compelling (Russia) to end the war' after US peace efforts over the past year yielded no breakthrough.The successful strikes, including hitting targets in Moscow and St Petersburg, have buoyed Ukraine.Zelensky said he got further promises of foreign support when he attended a recent summit of G7 leaders, including from US President Donald Trump, and that the promised aid will help Ukraine step up its effort to force Putin to the negotiating table.A Nato summit next month could be another key moment in beefing up Ukraine's military.
Russians fight over fuel at gas stations as Putin admits to shortage
It comes as Putin acknowledged that the country was suffering from 'a certain shortage' of fuel in an interview published by the Kremlin Sunday.











