Moscow —
Almost all of Russia’s 83 regions are seeing gasoline shortages or reported disruptions to supply, according to a CNN analysis, with many gas stations imposing rationing as the Russian government races to get ahead of a ferocious campaign of Ukrainian drone attacks targeting its refineries.
The fuel crisis, which escalated first in Russian-controlled Crimea and prompted a state of emergency and a full ban on fuel sales to ordinary people on June 21, is now reaching across Russia’s 11 time zones.
CNN analyzed official statements from regional mayors and governors as well as national and local media reports and found more than 50 of its internationally recognized regions officially reporting supply problems, with unofficial reports of disruptions in almost all of them. At least three regions, including Irkutsk and the Transbaikal region in eastern Russia, have declared a “state of heightened alert,” one step below a state of emergency.
“We are currently seeing certain shortages, although they are not critical,” claimed Russian President Vladimir Putin in a lengthy state TV interview on Sunday – part of what seemed to be a hastily arranged PR blitz designed to reassure the population that everything was under control.
