Russia's Fuel Shortage Fuels Public Anger as Economic Pressure Mounts

Economic pressure on ordinary Russians is intensifying, with fuel shortages — triggered by Ukrainian drone strikes on refineries — emerging as one of the most visible sources of public frustration. Major Russian polling institutes, including the state-run VCIOM and FOM as well as the independent Levada Centre, have all recorded a noticeable deterioration in public mood. The Kremlin, however, continues to insist the situation is stable.

Searching for Fuel at Night

DW asked its social media followers inside Russia to share their daily experiences. To protect sources, all responses were anonymised. One user from the Pechatniki district of Moscow described driving nearly 40 kilometres through the city late at night in search of an open petrol station. "If you find one with petrol, there's a queue of 50 to 100 cars in front of it," he wrote. "We decided not to wait until 3 or 4 in the morning just to go straight to work, so we went home to sleep. Our tank is now half empty — we'll be hunting for petrol by the end of the week, or leaving the car at home."

Another subscriber wrote: "Lately, you have to go looking for petrol at night. You don't always get lucky. Often there's none at all, and when there is, you wait two or three hours."

Drone Strikes Disrupt Supply

The fuel shortages are a direct consequence of Ukrainian drone strikes targeting Russian oil refineries. Data from the BenZinMap portal, which tracks fuel availability in real time, confirms repeated shortfalls across different regions. The disruptions have become one of the leading drivers of public discontent.

Wages, Prospects, and Uncertainty

Beyond fuel, Russians report growing dissatisfaction with wages and career prospects. Short-term survival strategies are increasingly replacing any sense of future planning, and unease continues to spread even in urban centres. Analysts note that the gap between the Kremlin's official narrative of stability and citizens' lived experience is widening.