Makhachkala residents complained about problems with refueling their cars.
A significant number of gas stations in Makhachkala are closed. Residents of Makhachkala report that people have to wait in line to fill up their cars during the day. The closure is not related to the change in government in the republic and is a continuation of efforts to improve gas station safety. However, analysts believe that all gas stations, including those located too close to residential buildings, usually reopen after a while.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot," the closure of gas stations in Makhachkala and Kaspiysk is leading to interruptions in the fuel supply, and queues have formed at existing gas stations. Entrepreneurs urged the courts to take a proportionate approach to closures, taking into account the severity of the violations. Often, the reason for closures is failure to comply with certain requirements, in particular, the distance from residential buildings, although, for example, as gas station owner Eldar Mekhtiev explained, the buildings were built after the station began operating. Gas station owner Zakarya Magomedov reported that his station's operations were suspended by a court order. According to him, the parameters for which the station was closed are not technical and do not pose a threat.
The explosion at the gas station in Novy Khushet in September 2025 was at least the 15th incident of explosions and fires at gas stations in Dagestan in 10 years. At least 54 people died in them, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report. After each explosion, the authorities promised to address the safety issue with gas stations, but this never happened, according to a "Caucasian Knot" article "Explosive Gas Stations: Makhachkala Residents in the Affected Zone," published back in 2017.
Makhachkala Residents Report Long Lines at Gas Stations
Makhachkala resident Zurab told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that gas stations are practically not operating anywhere in the city center.
"There is only one gas station operating in the Reduktorny settlement, and the lines there are colossal. "I drive to work every day towards Kaspiysk, and there's nowhere else for me to fill up. I have to leave early and stand in line for about half an hour," says Zurab.
"There are problems with gas stations. Gasoline and natural gas aren't available everywhere. And where they are, there's a line during the day," Artur told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
"The city has been having problems with gas for the past three weeks. Where I used to fill up, in the center, everything is closed. And the gas station that's open has long lines. At first, they thought they were strangling gas stations with taxes, then they said there was no gas in the country. And now they're not saying anything. "People are trying to drive less," says Makhachkala resident Rustam.
An employee of one of Makhachkala's gas stations told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that they had undergone inspections that revealed minor violations and were given time to correct them.
"Considering that many gas stations across the city were forcibly closed, our owner preferred not to take any risks and temporarily suspended operations until better times," he said, clarifying that the station is located at the required distance from residential buildings.
Gas stations have been temporarily closed after inspections before.
Political scientist and journalist Albert Esedov told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that he wouldn't connect the mass closure of gas stations in Makhachkala and Kaspiysk with the change of power in the republic.
After each emergency, discussions began about the gas stations being too close to residential buildings. And then the question arises: was it a house that appeared too close to a gas station, or was the gas station legalized where it shouldn't have been.
"I think this is a coincidence in timing, something that's long overdue. We've witnessed several serious accidents at gas stations in the republic over several years, including injuries. After each emergency, discussions began about the gas stations being too close to residential buildings. And here the question is: did the house appear too close to the gas station, or was the gas station legalized where it shouldn't have been? After each incident, inspections of gas stations were conducted, after which inspectors discovered numerous violations, including poor fuel quality," says Esedov.
In mid-February 2026, security forces detained a suspect in an industrial safety violation that resulted in a man dying in a gas tank fire at a gas storage station in Makhachkala . Due to the fire, local residents were evacuated from their homes and apartments. In September 2025, the investigation into the deaths in the gas station explosion in Dagestan was completed. Marat Dzhankhuvatov, the owner of the gas station in Novy Khushet where 13 people died in an explosion, hired unaccredited specialists to repair the gas pipeline. The investigation concluded that the repairs were carried out in violation of safety regulations.
He noted that Dagestan lacks a federal gas station network; only recently was the Tatneft federal gas station network announced to be operating in the region.
"I wouldn't associate the arrival of a federal network with the closure of existing gas stations in the region – this was discussed and decided upon long ago." "Tatneft has already opened two gas stations in Dagestan, and there are more than twenty more to come, where, as promised, there will be high-quality fuel, safety, and taxes for the budget," the expert believes.
Journalist doubts the effectiveness of the gas station closures
A Dagestani journalist, speaking on condition of anonymity, also told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that he does not connect the gas station closures with the actions of the new authorities.
"Most likely, these are some steps left over from the demands of the republic's leadership during the Melikov era, and new demands from the Makhachkala authorities. "Of course, this is reflected in rising prices and queues, but overall, the fuel supply situation for Makhachkala car owners isn't catastrophic; it's tolerable," the journalist believes.
He doesn't consider the lack of large federal chains in Dagestan a plus or a minus, but simply a "fact."
"Even those federal chains that are now coming to Dagestan, like Tatneft, are tied to local entrepreneurs. Therefore, in this situation, there's no noticeable difference in terms of competition in quality or price. The lack of chain players in Dagestan may be due to opposition from some level of the republic's government and the lobby represented by Dagestani gas station owners. There are likely some fears among the chains themselves, who are wary of entering the Dagestan market, seeing, in my opinion, the high corruption risks and excessive costs." "Building a fully-fledged gas station that meets all legal requirements requires allocating a fairly large plot of land, and the prices are exorbitant, so chain stores haven't risked entering Dagestan with such costs," the journalist says.
Even earlier, during the reigns of former regional leaders Vasilyev and Melikov, inspectors and prosecutors came and concluded that most gas stations in Dagestan were breaking the law.
"They closed a few gas stations somewhere in the mountains for show. As for Makhachkala and Kaspiysk, there were isolated cases, for short periods of time, and then these stations continued operating as before. It's hard to believe that anything will be brought to order now that the gas stations have been closed." "This story will likely end in nothing again, and most gas stations will continue to operate," he believes.
In October and November 2017, a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent measured the distances from 19 Makhachkala gas stations to nearby residential buildings and public buildings with a laser rangefinder. In most cases, the measurements revealed gross violations of fire safety distances. Some of those gas stations are still operating, while others suspended operations after inspections in May 2026.
According to a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, the gas station near building No. 24 on Imam Shamil Avenue, located in close proximity to Women's Clinic No. 4, has remained operational all these years. On May 23, it was closed, as was the gas station located near building No. 34 on Imam Shamil Avenue, where the distance to the nearest multi-story building is 8,245 meters.
Arsen Magomedov, a member of the "Our City" movement, posted a poll on his Telegram channel: "If you understand the reasons for the closure of gas stations in Makhachkala, please share them."
As of 4-6 PM Moscow time on May 23, 179 votes had been received. The majority—41%—responded to "a redistribution of the market in favor of certain owners," 29% to "punishment for those who failed to reach an agreement" with inspectors, 21% to "a show campaign for statistical purposes," 20% to "actual violations of fire and industrial safety regulations," and 18% to "pressure on businesses operating illegally and not paying taxes."
The Ministry of Energy of Dagestan cited multiple violations as the reason for the suspension of gas stations. Due to numerous citizen inquiries, an analysis of the temporary suspension of operations at several gas and gas stations across the republic was conducted, the ministry reported on its Telegram channel on April 30.
"It was established that most of the facilities were shut down during inspections due to violations of fire and industrial safety requirements, particularly in the sale of liquefied petroleum gas." Following working meetings involving the Prosecutor's Office, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, and the business community, the need to find balanced approaches was noted: unconditional security while minimizing risks to the operation of critical infrastructure," the publication states.