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Russia Starts Fining People for Complaining About Gasoline Shortages
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Russian authorities have begun issuing fines to residents who publicly complain about gasoline shortages, with courts in Volgograd and Perm penalizing people over attempts to draw attention to fuel supply problems.
On August 13, the Central District Court of Volgograd fined local resident Tatiana Smetanko 10,000 rubles (around $120) for participating in an unauthorized public gathering, according to Mediazona.
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The case stems from an incident on July 16, when five Volgograd residents gathered near a gas station on Rokossovsky Street to record a joint video appeal to Investigative Committee Chairman Alexander Bastrykin over fuel shortages. The participants were subsequently detained.
According to Mediazona, one participant, speaking anonymously to local outlet V1.ru, said the group had sought to complain about what they described as unequal access to gasoline. According to the participant, local administration employees were able to fill their tanks using fuel cards, while ordinary residents were often refused fuel.
Police, however, treated the recording of the appeal as an unauthorized public event, the participant said.
A similar case was reported in Perm, where activist Lev Samolovskikh was also fined 10,000 rubles after submitting an application to local authorities to hold a rally over gasoline shortages.
The fines come as fuel shortages continue to affect several Russian regions following month-long series of Ukrainian strikes. After temporarily easing restrictions in late July, authorities have again introduced gasoline rationing as renewed disruptions at oil refineries put pressure on domestic supplies.
At least six Russian regions reintroduced or tightened restrictions on fuel sales between August 10 and 15, The Insider reported. The measures include caps on gasoline purchases, restrictions on filling portable fuel containers, and odd-even rationing based on vehicle license plate numbers.
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