Major Crisis in Russia

Even Women Are Now Fighting Over Gas

After waiting for hours, she finally held the gas nozzle in her hands—and never wanted to let it go again.(Bild: Krone-Collage/kaluganews)

The fuel crisis in Russia continues to worsen. Across the country, fights are breaking out over the desperately needed fuel. People are threatening each other with weapons; there has even been a knife attack. Criticism of the situation is growing louder by the day.

Gas stations are surrounded by huge lines. Angry car owners have lost all sense of civility. Stress that seems never-ending. Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil facilities have left a deep mark on the country. There’s no sign of improvement; every day, new enemy drones strike.

To make matters worse, not all citizens are treated equally—even at the gas pump. In some regions, priority is given to participants in the Russian invasion of Ukraine and their families. Government officials also don’t have to wait in line. This is not met with understanding. The Russian exile media outlet “Meduza” has collected some compelling stories.

Explosive Tensions in Izhevsk:

Guns and knives are being used
Russians in the Irkutsk region had already been waiting five hours at the gas station. Thirty-six-year-old Vladimir initially joined the line at the very back but became aggressive. Frightened, people turned to the police officer on duty. The officer was only able to subdue the thrashing man by drawing his gun.

After hours of waiting, she finally had the gas pump in her hands—and didn’t want to let go of it.(Bild: Krone-Collage/kaluganews)

In Saint Petersburg, a local finally got his hands on the long-awaited gas pump. But before long, another driver moved in. The first driver reached for his gun, and the other went back to his car—but only to grab a knife. His opponent was severely beaten. In Cheboksary, a brawl broke out between a driver and a motorcyclist who had cut in line. Eventually, the owner of the two-wheeler pulled out a can of pepper spray and sprayed a full blast into the rebellious driver’s face.

Cutting in line gets you punched
In the Sverdlovsk Oblast, Vladimir tried to keep order in the line at the gas station. He refused to let women cut in line. But some still tried to cut in line, and an argument broke out. It culminated in Vladimir swinging his fist and hitting a woman in the face. He later admitted that he was drunk. In Krasnodar, two drivers argued over who could drive up to the gas pump first. Since they couldn’t reach an agreement the normal way, they let their fists do the talking. In another video, two women berated a man for filling a can with gasoline. This is prohibited in the Krasnodar region:

Women in Russia are also behaving increasingly aggressively. In Kaliningrad, two Russian women got into a heated argument and ultimately had to be separated by gas station employees and other drivers. In Kaluga, a woman refused to return the gas nozzle. A video shows a man trying to calm her down.

She hysterically screams that he should bring her a can. Eventually, however, the woman was persuaded to leave—after she tried to kick a driver.

Despite all this chaos, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin claims the situation is “not critical.” The government simply fails to see the people’s frustration. “There are disruptions at individual gas stations, but they’ll be resolved quickly,” officials reassure the public. Meanwhile, state media have been instructed to sweep the problems under the rug as much as possible.