Residents of Sochi complain about hours-long lines for gasoline

Drivers in Sochi are waiting in line at gas stations for four to five hours, social media users claim. The city head called the situation "controlled," but asked car owners to reduce trips in personal vehicles.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", by the end of July, major gas station networks eased the restrictions on fuel sales in southern Russia, but by August 5, drivers reported that queues at gas stations in Krasnodar persisted and that there was a lack of gasoline at some stations. On July 9, gasoline was absent at some Krasnodar gas stations - one driver noted that he found fuel only at two out of ten gas stations.

Queues at gas stations have re-emerged not only in Krasnodar and Gelendzhik but also in Sochi, where there were previously no fuel problems, reports “7x7 - Horizontal Russia” (included in the Russian register of foreign agents).

One Sochi resident filmed her street filled with cars at 6:30 this morning. “Our entire street is a queue for gasoline. There is no gas station on my street,” the woman says in a recording on the Telegram channel “Typical Krasnodar.”

“By 8:00, the queues at the “Rosneft” gas station disappeared, and people began to refuel,” writes the publication “Living Kuban.”

In another video, a man recounts that he arrived at the “Rosneft” gas station at 5 a.m. He demonstrated a long line of cars and reported that he was only able to refuel by 10:00. Other drivers in the same queue confirmed that they waited at least four hours. “They give 30 liters of diesel per person. There is no 92, only 95,” the blogger reported, whose video was published by Readovka.

In another video in the channel's publication, the owner of a white “Mercedes” boasts that she refueled her car at a gas station closed to other customers. “Sochi is a separate state where everything is resolved with a phone call,” she wrote, noting that she “has very good friends.”

“As local residents report, some of them queued for refueling last night, but the fuel was never delivered,” the publication notes.

Sochi Mayor Andrey Proshunin commented on the situation during the day, stating that 38 gas stations were operating in the city in the morning, and throughout the day “they operate based on current stock levels.”

“I assure you that the fuel situation in Sochi remains controlled,” the official wrote on his channel.

At the same time, Proshunin urged residents and tourists “not to create additional tension” - that is, to use personal transport and purchase fuel “as needed.”

Remember, against the backdrop of drone attacks on oil refineries, including those located in the Krasnodar region, a fuel crisis has emerged in the southern regions of Russia. The gasoline shortage has led to a sharp increase in demand for the installation of gas equipment (GBO). Queues at service stations have stretched for several months, and the cost of equipment has nearly doubled.