Queues for gasoline in the Volgograd region have turned into hours-long waits.

In Volgograd, drivers are spending the night in queues at gas stations, some are parking their cars at non-operational gas stations in hopes that gasoline will be delivered there. Residents reported having to cut back on trips for both personal and work matters. Authorities report on measures taken that "are gradually yielding results."

"The Caucasian Knot" reported that in June, there was a rise in gasoline prices in Volgograd, and queues at gas stations in rural areas, with restrictions on fuel sales at all gas stations. Some gas stations offered more expensive grades of gasoline for purchase. At that time, authorities assured consumers that the situation was under control. On August 30 and in the first half of August 31, long queues were observed at gas stations in the regional center. By the end of the day on August 31, Volgograd residents reported that gasoline in the city had run out.

On September 5, a correspondent from "The Caucasian Knot" surveyed drivers in Volgograd. The survey is not representative and reflects only the private opinions of respondents.

A resident of the Central district of Volgograd Olga Kitaeva reported that a kilometer-long queue formed at the Lukoil gas station located on Pakhomenko Street.

"I saw the queue since yesterday evening. Cars were lined up, even though there was no gasoline at the gas station. They were waiting. Probably, they spent the night in their cars. My husband parked the car. He hasn't used it for the third day – neither for family nor work matters," Olga said.

The woman reported that, according to her husband, only five gas stations were operational in the regional center yesterday.

Dmitry, living in the Krasnoarmeysky district of the regional center, called the fuel situation in the city "collapsing."

"The day before yesterday, I set a personal record: I stood in line for 9 hours. People are writing online that some stand for 15 hours in Volgograd. The governor is beating his chest, assuring that the situation is normalizing. But it gets worse every day," Dmitry said.

People are taking their places in line even at non-operational gas stations in the morning and waiting (for fuel to be delivered). They might be able to refuel by the end of the day. Or they might not be able to refuel at all.

Dmitry said he drove around the city all day today and observed "kilometer-long queues" at gas stations. He also noted that local media reported only five gas stations were operational in Volgograd.

"People are taking their places in line even at non-operational gas stations in the morning and waiting (for fuel to be delivered). They might be able to refuel by the end of the day. Or they might not be able to refuel at all. Sometimes conflicts at gas stations lead to fights. People are aggressive and stressed. What is our mood as voters before the elections?" Dmitry rhetorically asked.

Volgograd historian Andrey Kudинов reported that in the Voroshilovsky and Central districts of the city, drivers were lining up their cars at non-operational gas stations last night and going home to sleep, returning early in the morning "in hopes that fuel had been delivered."

"I saw this myself yesterday. I saw a fight at a gas station. People did not want to let a certain official's car pass. Today, rumors spread around the city that gasoline might completely disappear from the city next week. They say the authorities are trying to adjust logistics. But they are not succeeding at all," Kudинов said.

The man noted that he hasn't used his car for a week. He left it in a relative's garage, "because fuel has started to be siphoned from car tanks at night in the city."

With this situation, I won't be able to work soon. I can't spend half a day standing in line (at the gas station) and then sell at the counter.

Sixty-three-year-old Sarkis Karapetyan sells vegetables at one of the city markets. The man reported that he transports vegetables from warehouses located in the Sredneakhtubinsky and Svetloyarsky districts.

"With this situation, I won't be able to work soon. I can't spend half a day standing in line (at the gas station) and then sell at the counter. My market neighbors are in the same bad situation," Sarkis noted.

The man reported that fuel prices have risen over the past week: AI-95 by almost 3.5 rubles per liter (to 75 rubles), AI-92 by 4 rubles (to 68 rubles).

"At private gas stations, gasoline is sold at speculative prices – up to 130 rubles per liter," the man complained.

Sarkis regrets that before the fuel crisis, he couldn't convert his car's engine to use gas.

A resident of the district center Ilovlya Zhanna Kurilkova reported that two hours before the call from the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, she was informed that gasoline was being sold at the TNK gas station on the federal highway, "at the turn to Zheltukhino." There was no fuel at other gas stations in the district center (except for diesel).

"But my neighbor went there (to Zheltukhino) half an hour ago. He says there is no gasoline there either," the woman noted.

I saw men pushing their cars to the gas station. They ran out of gasoline before they could get there. That's our stabilization of the situation.

"In Volzhsky, only two gas stations had gasoline: TATNEFT recently delivered it on Alexandrov Street and Gazprom – on Novichenko Street. But there are long queues there. All gas stations along the highway to Srednyaya Akhtuba are empty. I saw men pushing their cars to the gas station. They ran out of gasoline before they could get there. That's our stabilization of the situation. They say that yesterday there was gasoline in Volzhsky only at four gas stations," complained Volzhsky resident, thirty-year-old Nikolai Zuev, who is temporarily unemployed.

Zuev reported that he stood in line at the gas station for 9.5 hours yesterday. Nikolai also mentioned that due to fuel savings, he hasn't driven his family to their summer house for a week.

"Everything there is probably already dried up. The rains have passed, we hope that at least a little bit has moistened the garden," the man said.

On September 2, the governor of the Volgograd region spoke for the first time in the presence of journalists about the fuel crisis in the region. At a meeting of the organizing committee for the #Three Four festival, he noted that "the situation on the front is a hundred times worse right now." He referred to the heroism and patience of the people during the Great Patriotic War and said nothing about how the regional government plans to solve the fuel problem, according to a report from "Height 102."

On September 4, the regional industry and energy department informed journalists that regional and federal authorities "in cooperation with fuel companies" had taken a number of measures that "are gradually yielding results": "a positive dynamic in fuel supply to the region has emerged, which will lead to an improvement in the situation at gas stations." It was also reported that fuel companies "have completed the adjustment of logistics - daily over the week, fuel supplies to gas stations in the Volgograd region will increase through new supply channels." However, officials' reports do not mention the reasons for the fuel crisis in the Volgograd region.