Russian Duma deputy says government is hiding extent of fuel crisis ahead of elections
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State Duma member Nina Ostanina accused Russian authorities of downplaying a fuel shortage that has shut about a third of refineries and warned it could influence September’s parliamentary vote.
State Duma family protection committee chair Nina Ostanina said the Russian government is concealing the scale of a nationwide fuel crisis, noting that roughly one-third of the country’s refineries are out of operation. She criticized the agriculture minister and the deputy prime minister for remaining silent as the harvest season approaches, arguing that the shortage could jeopardize food supplies under sanctions.
Ostanina warned that fuel shortages are leading to closed gas stations in the Vladimir and Moscow regions, with no queues and no fuel, and that rising transport costs could push up prices for goods. She suggested that the situation may affect voter decisions in the September State Duma elections, adding that extended voting periods would not protect certain officials.
Her comments followed Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak’s statement that while some stations face shortages, the domestic market as a whole remains supplied with gasoline and diesel. The crisis has worsened in recent weeks, attributed to increased Ukrainian drone attacks on oil refineries, prompting most Russian regions to impose fuel-sale restrictions.