The fuel crisis has led to hours-long queues at gas stations in Astrakhan.

The fuel shortage problem in Astrakhan has worsened: drivers now have to wait for hours to refuel, and gasoline can run out in just a few hours, local drivers reported.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", the authorities of the Astrakhan region, amid the gasoline shortage, introduced a fuel refueling system at gas stations on even and odd days depending on the last digit of the car's number. After this measure was introduced, queues at gas stations did not decrease; drivers line up in advance even at non-operating gas stations in hopes of buying fuel. Due to the fuel problem, residents of Astrakhan have started using their personal cars less frequently, walking more, and taking buses, users of social media reported.

Queues at gas stations in Astrakhan have not decreased, and social tension due to the fuel crisis is rising, local residents surveyed by a correspondent from "Caucasian Knot" on July 12 and 13 stated. The survey is not representative and reflects only the private opinions of the respondents.

New rules introduced at gas stations by the authorities have not led to "significant changes," believes 57-year-old Astrakhan resident Oleg Teplishev. "The length of the queues remains the same. People stand for at least 4-6 hours to refuel. All cars have different fuel consumption, and accordingly, the amount of gasoline needed to travel along transport routes also varies. I assume the restrictions negatively affect car owners," Teplishev stated.

Oleg noted that the situation at gas stations varies in different areas of the city and region. For instance, on Sunday, July 12, at some gas stations, people started lining up from six in the morning, while gasoline was only delivered by noon. By 5:00 PM Moscow time, only those who had lined up in the morning managed to refuel; others "left empty-handed."

"There are minor conflicts, possibly, as everywhere. Well, it's understandable: the heat, the nerves. I haven't heard of any major conflicts," Teplishev noted.

A minibus driver, introducing himself as Grigory, reported that the gasoline shortage situation in Astrakhan has worsened over the past week. If earlier drivers waited in line at gas stations for an hour to an hour and a half, during the past weekend, the waiting time stretched to eight hours.

"At the same time, no one warns drivers that gasoline is about to run out. They inform when the last drop has been sold. And just imagine, those who stood in line for several hours in the heat (that's 20-30 cars), have to go home with empty tanks. It's clear that conflicts arise for various reasons," Grigory described the situation in the Babaevsky microdistrict.

The minibus driver noted that he and his colleagues manage to refuel, but the fuel sale restrictions force them to spend time refueling every day.

"I think I might quit this job for a while until the hype subsides. Just imagine, we spend most of our working hours in queues. Then we get refueled for 30 liters, and how can we work with such a volume? I've heard that those who work in the districts have some agreements with gas stations, but that doesn't apply to our company," Grigory said.

Pensioner Semyon Kulbyakin also stood in a long queue on Rybinskaya Street. In the queue, drivers talked about how a "black hole" has formed in Astrakhan: at night, there is no gasoline at any gas station in the regional center, he reported.

"Gasoline is delivered to Astrakhan by morning, and in some places by noon. It gets sold out in just a few hours, and only at three to five gas stations. That's for the whole city. The other gas stations stand empty. We've come to this," the pensioner lamented.

Semyon Kulbyakin recounted that he witnessed conflicts at gas stations twice when drivers refused to let "special transport" go ahead in line.

"There was a lot of shouting! They threatened to call the police. But I didn't see any fights. Just raised voices," Kulbyakin said. He has not seen cases where abandoned cars were evacuated from gas station queues.

The pensioner also told the journalist that he no longer drives to his summer house by car but uses the bus. He and his wife go to the summer house on weekdays and return on weekends.

"It's become expensive to travel by car. We take a supply of groceries and go to the summer house for overnight stays. We have a gas stove and a small refrigerator there; the vegetables in the garden have ripened now. If anything, I go to the village shop by bicycle. We manage. We are waiting for this fuel crisis to end," Semyon Kulbyakin said.

A resident of the village of Nachalovo, introducing himself as Dmitry, reported that his twenty-year-old daughter drives a car. The girl is married and studies at the university. On Saturday, July 11, she stood in line at gas stations with an odd-numbered car twice.

"To put it briefly: there is not enough gasoline anywhere, neither in Astrakhan nor on the highways. The situation worsens every day. The authorities' measures are not working - neither the sales restrictions nor this 'even-odd' system. Refueling has become expensive and unsafe. My son-in-law and daughter go to gas stations to protect her because people are on edge. They might even grab knives or pull women by their hair. People have started using public transport to go to the city. The car is sitting idle in the yard," Dmitry reported. He added that there have been at least several recorded cases of criminal siphoning of fuel from cars in Astrakhan.

"I haven't heard of such things in Nachalovo yet, but soon, I think, we will start cutting hoses too. We want to park the car in my grandfather's yard: he has a fierce dog that won't let strangers in," he concluded.

Astrakhan political scientist Mikhail Dolieff* is confident that the "new rules of the authorities" regarding refueling on even/odd days and limiting gas station operating hours "have not particularly improved the situation."

"The idea of staggering car flows by days looks logical on paper, but in practice, the queues have not disappeared. Reducing gas station operating hours has only worsened the situation: now everyone tries to make it within a limited time window, which causes even more cars to accumulate during gas station operating hours. And there are always those who try to cut in line, ignoring any rules and schedules," Dolieff* believes.

The issue of limiting 30 liters of gasoline per transaction "no longer depends on the opinion of ordinary people," as "the limits are strictly set," he believes.

"On the one hand, the 30-liter limit forces drivers to return to the gas station more often, which only increases the overall pressure and makes people stand in these hours-long queues again and again. On the other hand, if this restriction is simply lifted now, gasoline at gas stations will run out in the first hours of operation, and the queues will become even more aggressive," Mikhail suggested.

According to Dolieff*, it is impossible to establish rules and restrictions that will be truly effective. "There are always exceptions - drivers who brazenly cut in line, try to refuel on the wrong day according to their number, or ask to fill up 'in a canister.' Because of this, conflicts periodically flare up. Most, of course, wait patiently, but the overall atmosphere in the queues is extremely tense," the political scientist noted.

He confirmed that there have been cases of evacuating "empty" cars from queues at gas stations. "Cases where cars are left 'on duty' in line without drivers do indeed occur - people try to save time and nerves somehow. The evacuation of such vehicles in Astrakhan is heard about in the news and chats, and it makes sense: abandoned cars completely block the already overloaded roads near gas stations," Dolieff explained.

Conflicts, according to Mikhail, "flare up constantly at gas stations" as "the level of tension is enormous." "Scandals happen regularly: either due to those who try to cut in 'just to ask,' or due to disputes over whose turn it is on even/odd days, or due to attempts to refuel bypassing the limit," he explained.

The political scientist added that if he parks his car "on hold," it happens more and more often. "Standing for hours in queues, adjusting to schedules, and constantly experiencing stress is a dubious pleasure. If the trip is not urgent, it is already easier to take public transport, - despite the fact that for the last few decades, the Astrakhan authorities have systematically destroyed trams and trolleybuses, - or walk, than to spend half a day trying to get 30 liters of gasoline. Smart people only drive when absolutely necessary," the political scientist described the situation.

The crisis situation, according to Mikhail, affects drivers' plans: many have to become "much less mobile." Any trips over long distances or out of town are canceled or postponed, as "no one wants to get stuck on the highway with an empty tank."

"Life now revolves around logistics: 'Will there be enough gasoline to get there and stand in another queue?' As for expenses, costs have increased. First of all, the fuel itself hits the wallet, and secondly, due to the inability to use personal cars normally, sometimes one has to spend on taxis, and their prices have also skyrocketed during peak hours. And the time lost in hours-long queues is also a pure loss," Mikhail Dolieff* summarized.

* included in the Russian register of foreign agents.

** the activities of the Meta company (which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) are banned in Russia.