Residents of Dagestan demanded that the authorities stop the rise in gasoline prices.
In Dagestan, gasoline prices are expected to rise by three percent in the next two weeks, analysts forecasted. Residents of the republic, commenting on their report on social media, demanded that the authorities and antimonopoly officials stop the rise in fuel prices and check gas station owners for possible collusion.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", earlier one of the Dagestani drivers complained that against the backdrop of the fuel crisis, traffic police intensified checks for gas equipment marks in vehicle documents. Other motorists from Dagestan considered such zeal from the police a attempt to exploit the situation for their own benefit. The traffic police are doing nothing to reduce the hype around gas equipment and simplify the registration system, noted journalist Milrad Fatullaev.
According to the Dagestan Fuel Association, in the next two weeks, gasoline prices for AI-92 and AI-95 grades may rise by 1 – 3%. The association advised gas station owners to purchase fuel in small batches due to instability in the oil products market, reported the television company "Dagestan" on its website.
Commentators demanded the authorities' attention to the situation with fuel prices
A post about the expected rise in gasoline prices in Dagestan was published by the Instagram*-public makhachkala_, which has about 247 thousand followers. As of 10:50 Moscow time on July 27, this post received 427 likes and 721 comments. Users identifying themselves as residents of Dagestan demanded a response from the authorities and the antimonopoly service.
"Where else can prices go up? Where are the government and the antimonopoly service looking?" – asked user bo_carvet.
"Why is there no price control on fuel, like in other neighboring republics? Where is the head looking?" – asked user reflections_95.
"Instead of stopping and punishing for possible collusion, they warn. They are well set up," stated user tfu_na_tebya.
Other users pointed out that salaries and pensions are not rising along with fuel prices. "How will people get to work? Salaries are not increasing," noted user panther.633354.
"Prices are rising for everything! And salaries, importantly, remain the same," noted madina_1995.04.11.
"When will salaries and pensions be raised?" – asked user kyrbanovna7.
Commentators also complained about the constant rise in prices not only for fuel but also for food and other goods.
"When has there ever been a drop in prices in Dagestan? Only a rise in prices for everything," stated gulnara_8664.
"Not just for fuel. For everything," emphasized m.abdulhalikova74.
"Not only fuel is rising. Everything is rising, mainly food. Pensions and salaries are frozen. People are just surviving," noted user bydazybb.
Some commentators complained that the quality of fuel does not match its cost. "Where else? Okay, prices are rising, if only the quality matched," wrote asya_resni4ki_.
"The price is rising, but the quality is much worse. The car stalls, sputters, and jerks while moving," emphasized el_dar4304.
Analysts did not see a way out of the crisis through mass transition to gas
The fuel crisis has forced drivers in the southern regions of Russia to massively install gas equipment (GBO) on their cars. There have been long queues at auto repair shops. Earlier, analysts noted that long queues at service stations force drivers to turn to "gray" installers who do not provide safety guarantees.
Analysts previously stated that a mass transition of motorists to gas will not overcome the fuel crisis, as the necessary infrastructure is currently lacking.
Creating such infrastructure in a short time is impossible, noted Alexander Frolov, Deputy Director General of the National Energy Institute. "However, the current crisis is a good reason to remember the programs that already exist but are developing much slower than planned," he noted.
The mass transition to gas will not become a long-term trend, suggested Igor Yushkov, leading analyst at the National Energy Security Fund. According to him, after the problem with gasoline is resolved and the queues at gas stations disappear, the hype around installing GBO will subside.