Residents of Volgograd linked the rush at gas stations to the attacks on the oil refinery.

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The new rush at gas stations in Volgograd is linked by local residents to the drone attack on the oil refinery. According to them, the panic among drivers is related to insufficient information provided to the public about the results of the raids.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on the night of November 13, Volgograd was subjected to a massive drone attack. After the debris from the drones fell, fires broke out at the enterprise in the southern industrial zone of the city and the adjacent area. Residents of the city heard explosions for several hours, and flight restrictions were imposed at the airport. Four employees of the southern industrial zone of Volgograd died in the drone attack, and two others were hospitalized. After the attacks, long lines formed at gas stations in Volgograd.

On November 14, a correspondent from "Caucasian Knot" surveyed drivers in Volgograd about whether they encountered a rush when buying fuel at gas stations. The survey is not representative and reflects only the private opinions of the respondents.

A resident of the Central District of Volgograd Olga Kitaeva reported that the rush at gas stations in Volgograd peaked on the night of November 13 to 14.

There haven't been queues for a long time

"Either it's Friday - the rush before the weekend, or people want to stock up on gasoline. There were explosions all night, it was booming. There hasn't been such a massive raid in a long time. I even woke up at one in the morning. People, apparently, got scared. There haven't been queues for a long time," she said.

During the day on November 14, the rush, according to her, subsided. The queues decreased to 20 cars per pump. "My husband drove around the city all day. He says the queues have noticeably decreased at gas stations in the northern and central districts of the city. By the evening today (November 14), he says, there was no gasoline at the gas stations on Zhukov Avenue and on Cherepovetskaya. But the staff there promised that deliveries would come at night," Olga reported.

Kitaeva reported that at Lukoil gas stations, where fuel is still being sold, there is no gasoline of grades A-100 and A-98. According to her, the "popular in the city" grade A-92 costs 69.05 rubles per liter, A-95 – 76.63 rubles, and diesel fuel – 82.45 rubles. Over the week, fuel prices have risen by 50 to 65 kopecks, the woman stated.

People are stocking up (on gasoline) while there are still supplies at gas stations

A resident of the Krasnoarmeysky District, introducing himself as Dmitry, noted that in the southern districts of the city, there was also a rush at gas stations on the night of November 13 to 14. "People are stocking up (on gasoline) while there are still supplies at gas stations. There are currently no restrictions on sales. We'll see what happens next," the Volgograd resident reported.

Dmitry mentioned that in the "pre-canal" part of the Krasnoarmeysky District (in the area north of the Volga-Don Canal), the consequences of the night raid were not heard. However, in Zakanalye, it was "noisy".

I think yesterday's hustle at the gas stations is a temporary phenomenon

Volgograd historian Andrey Kudинов stated that the rush at fuel stations in the central district of the city and on the outskirts "has somewhat decreased," but has not completely "disappeared." "I think yesterday's hustle at the gas stations is a temporary phenomenon. Overall, the authorities managed to fill the region with gasoline. What happened at night was just ordinary panic after the massive drone raid on the southern industrial hub. We are not officially informed about how serious the destruction is there. Most likely, the authorities themselves do not have this information yet. This lack of information leads to such consequences. Tomorrow we will see how serious everything is," Kudинов said.

A resident of Volzhsky Nikolai Zuev reported that in the evening, fuel was sold without restrictions at all gas stations in the city. The queues were small. "I would only note that over the past week, prices have risen again – on average by about 50 kopecks. But people have already gotten used to it. It seems inflation is picking up speed," Nikolai stated.

A Volgograd resident working at the Volgograd Oil Refinery, speaking on condition of anonymity, reported the following: "Shipments have been suspended. The oil refinery is not shipping to Volgograd. There is still gasoline at some stations, while at others there is none, queues have formed, and it will only get worse in the near future. Nothing new."

This is a clear indicator of a deep crisis of trust

Political scientist Mikhail Dolieva* believes that the blow to the Volgograd Oil Refinery has affected the neighboring Astrakhan region. At the same time, the expert believes that the queues at Astrakhan gas stations are "not just a reaction to specific news about strikes on the oil refinery or incidents in the region itself." "This is a clear indicator of a deep crisis of trust. When official reports say that everything is under control, people vote with their rubles and canisters because they know from their own experience the value of such assurances," the political scientist stated.

Dolieva* noted that from a logistical standpoint, the residents' fears are quite understandable. "The fuel market of the Lower Volga region is tightly linked to Volgograd's processing, and any stoppage of capacities there inevitably echoes with shortages and price spikes among neighbors," he said.

As a result, according to Mikhail, the "classic wartime mechanism" kicks in: the rush demand itself empties the gas station tanks even before the real fuel shortage is felt. "The main outcome of what is happening lies beyond the economy. For a long time, it seemed that the familiar rear life would remain untouched, but history is arranged differently: war always returns to where it came from, and queues for gasoline are just the first reminder of this," Mikhail Dolieva* stated.