The appeal to Bastrykin from the Volgograd gas station resulted in detentions and arrests.
Police detained five people at a gas station in Volgograd who were recording a video message to the head of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, about the situation with gasoline. Lawyer Alexey Sevastyanov was sentenced to five days in jail today.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on July 10, drivers from Volgograd and the region spoke about long queues at gas stations and expressed their opposition to the Astrakhan system of selling gasoline on even and odd days depending on the car's number. In Astrakhan, despite the introduction of this system, drivers' problems worsened by July 14, they reported - now one has to wait for hours to refuel, and gasoline can run out in just a few hours.
By July 7, more than half of the gas stations in Volgograd had been closed, and queues formed at all open gas stations. Authorities insist that fuel supplies are timely and sufficient, and that the crisis is caused by "artificial hype." On July 9, residents of the Volgograd region complained about a sharp rise in fuel prices.
A group of Volgograd residents led by lawyer Alexey Sevastyanov gathered on July 16 near a gas station on Rokossovsky Street. They planned to record a video message to Bastrykin about the problems related to the fuel crisis, but the police regarded the recording as an unauthorized public event.
Administrative protocols were drawn up against all five participants for violating the order of holding a rally (Article 20.2 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of Russia, which provides for a fine or up to 40 hours of community service), confirmed the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Volgograd region. Sevastyanov was also charged with disobeying a lawful order of a police officer (Article 19.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of Russia provides for up to 15 days of arrest or up to 120 hours of community service).
The theme of the appeal was inequality in access to fuel. "Regarding unfair distribution: our administration fills the tank of cars with RAА numbers using fuel cards, while city residents are often simply refused," quotes one of the meeting participants V1.RU.
Sevastyanov's lawyer, Albert Karmazinovsky, mentioned a slightly different topic for the appeal - high fuel prices. "They complained that companies selling fuel have inflated prices. There is little gasoline, and they have also raised prices," quotes him "Cautiously, news".
The video message itself has not been found in open sources. It is unknown whether the activists managed to record it, notes "Activatika".
"They twisted my arms and left me in police custody for the whole night"
The Central District Court of Volgograd, which reviewed Alexey Sevastyanov's protocol on disobedience to law enforcement today, sentenced him to five days in jail. The other detainees were released from the department on the same day, but Sevastyanov spent the night in police custody, informs V1.RU.
"We were recording a video message to Bastrykin. This has happened in the city more than once. To scare people that recording video messages requires approval from some administration is just absurd. Nevertheless, everyone was taken to the department, and two protocols were drawn up against me. Under Article 19.3, the arrest could be up to 15 days, but thank God, they announced five, although I asked not to impose an arrest. My wife is in complete shock: I couldn't call her for a day because I was without a phone, I couldn't tell her where I was at all," quotes the publication the words of the activist right after the court.
According to the lawyer, the representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs requested all 15 days for Sevastyanov. "He refused to comply with the police's demands, but the police's demands were illegal. He was twisted, restrained, and left in police custody for the whole night," said Karmazinovsky. He noted that the arrest order has already been appealed, and the complaint will be considered on July 18.
Some Volgograd residents refuel without limits
Reports that a certain category of drivers in Volgograd are sold gasoline without limits appeared on June 30. Human rights activist Ivan Ivanov was passing by the "Gazprom" gas station on that day with the sign turned off on Cherepovetskaya Street, but noticed cars standing at the pumps. Ivanov was refused at the gas station, although next to him a Chevrolet driver with RAА series number was filling gasoline into a five-liter container in the back seat, wrote "Bloknot".
The driver answered Ivanov's questions that he was refueling using fuel cards and taking fuel "exclusively for personal use." "Let's see the numbers. They say that such cars are driven by the administration of the region?" asked the human rights activist. The customer at the gas station refused to name his employer who issued the card. The gas station employee confirmed that gasoline is only dispensed to holders of corporate fuel cards.
Ivanov demanded a check from the Federal Antimonopoly Service, calling such a restriction a gross violation of antimonopoly legislation and consumer rights.
The fuel crisis arose against the backdrop of attacks on oil refineries, including those located in southern Russia. Thus, on June 10, a fire occurred at the territory of the oil refinery in the village of Afipsky. On June 5, a fuel depot in Ust-Labinsk caught fire, requiring the evacuation of residents of nearby houses. On June 2, a fire broke out at an oil refinery in the village of Ilsk in the Seversky district as a result of a drone attack. The fire was extinguished the same day.