Russian drivers' patience is tested as fuel shortages drag on ​

MOSCOW, July 6 - With a nearly empty tank, Daria's car kept stalling as it inched forward in a long line at a filling station in Russia's Leningrad region which surrounds St Petersburg.

From Russia's former imperial capital, on the Baltic Sea, to Siberia, Russians are facing hours-long lines to refuel, as intensifying Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure squeeze domestic fuel supplies and test public morale.

"I don't know if I'll make it to the filling station. Since they won't sell fuel in canisters, I'll probably have to leave the car right here," Daria said with an anxious laugh.

Other drivers in line lamented how the long waits had become a part of daily life. "We really feel the (fuel) situation is getting tight. That’s it. It’s very sad," said Viktoria, who like Daria gave only her first name.

Most Russian regions imposed some form of fuel restrictions in June, limiting how much gasoline or diesel drivers can buy at a time. Tight supply means filling stations regularly run out and place 'Out of Order' signs on pumps.

In late June, President Vladimir Putin promised measures to stabilise the market, while the authorities have urged calm, saying supply chain issues are being tackled promptly.

Despite those assurances, the shortages are proving disruptive. Russians saw Ukraine's long-range drone attacks and fuel issues as the standout events of June, according to a monthly survey by the Levada Center, an independent pollster that Moscow has designated a foreign agent.

'PEOPLE ARE GETTING VERY ANGRY'

The same poll showed that the share of people who felt the country was on the right track posted its biggest monthly decline since 2018, to 52% from 61% in May.

The number of respondents who approved of Putin's performance as president dropped to 74% in June, the lowest since the start of Russia's war in Ukraine in early 2022, it also showed.

"People are getting very angry. Long queues, refuelling is difficult, plus the heat. For many people the air conditioning doesn’t work. Some people even feel unwell in the queues," said driver Nikita, waiting to refuel in Moscow. "How long this will last, nobody knows."

Kyiv has continued its drone campaign against energy targets, which it says is meant to increase the cost of war for Russia and pressure it to make peace. Ukraine's military said on Monday it had struck oil refineries in Russia's Yaroslavl and Leningrad regions overnight.

Russia has repeatedly attacked Ukraine's energy infrastructure during the war, now in its fifth year, causing widespread power outages and winter-time heating shortages. REUTERS