More than a third of gas stations in Kuban have suspended operations

More than a third of gas stations in Kuban have closed or reduced their working hours, said the vice-governor of the region. In at least three municipalities, authorities sent Cossacks and volunteers to gas stations to prevent conflicts in queues for gasoline.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", in Krasnodar, drivers wait up to six hours for refueling at most gas stations, said deputy Alexander Safronov. According to motorists, the situation with queues has worsened by July 1 . Telegram users called for increasing fuel dispensing limits to reduce the accumulation of cars at gas stations.

Out of 1,029 gas stations operating in Krasnodar Krai, 369 have suspended operations, said vice-governor Evgeny Pergun, who oversees energy and housing issues, at a session of the Legislative Assembly of Kuban on July 1.

According to Pergun, about half of all gas stations in the region are owned by large oil companies. Their representatives insist that the stations are not closing but only reducing their working hours, while regional authorities interpret this as closure during monitoring.

The official admitted that the volume of fuel supplies to the region is not increasing, while its consumption is rising. He attributed the increase in consumption to the resort season and the start of the harvest campaign.

The regional working group on fuel market control is considering restrictive measures, including a complete ban on selling gasoline in cans and other containers. "This will help network operators prevent conflicts at gas stations. It is necessary to ensure safety at gas stations," Pergun's words are quoted by "Kommersant".

In some municipalities of Krasnodar Krai, the sale of fuel in cans has already been banned at the initiative of gas station owners, the publication notes. Local authorities also report on measures to prevent conflicts in queues for gasoline: for instance, the administration of the Krymsky district sent Cossacks and former military participants to popular gas stations.

"At gas stations where maximum queues accumulate, Cossacks and participants of the special military operation will be on duty to ensure public order. Such work is already underway at several gas stations," the district administration reported in its Telegram channel on the evening of June 30.

According to officials, with Cossacks, "the queue moves faster," and speculators are unable to refuel multiple times for further resale of fuel.

Round-the-clock volunteers will also appear at large network gas stations in Novorossiysk, reported the city head Andrey Kravchenko on July 1. "Near gas stations that are not equipped with toilets, bio-toilets will be installed, and if necessary, drinking water will be delivered. To reduce the load on gas stations and rationally distribute fuel, volunteers will monitor compliance with the ban on repeated refueling and refueling in cans," the official wrote in his Telegram channel.

The head of Anapa, Svetlana Maslova, also reported on July 1 that Cossacks and volunteers are on duty at local gas stations, who "maintain public discipline."

"At the approaches to gas stations, the traffic flow is divided depending on the location of the tank and the required type of fuel, preventing chaotic movement and parking of cars. No more than 2 cars are allowed at each pump. To prevent fuel from being drained into cans, representatives of the Cossacks use the refueling nozzle themselves. This practice has allowed for better organization of work and significantly reduced waiting time in line," she claims.

Cossacks at gas stations in Anapa were noticed as early as June - they appeared in videos published by the monitoring channel Exilenova+. "That queue was formed by locals, and here stand Crimeans. "Cossacks are taking charge. Well, because it is unbearable. Life is paralyzed," the authors of the video reflect during their car trip.

The Telegram channel "Typical Krasnodar," which has over 366,000 subscribers, published a video late on June 1 showing a long line of cars in front of one of the gas stations. "A giant traffic jam at the gas station near the Lenin farm," the caption to the video reads. In the footage, about 190 cars can be counted. "I stood there for almost five hours yesterday!! I refueled at 3:40 AM, but was in line since almost 11 PM," claims a user with the nickname Tsviatochik (cactus).

"We stood for seven hours for gasoline. One gas station closed in front of us, saying: 'we work until 8 PM,' then we stood at another one," wrote a user Lanka in the comments.

"This is some kind of mockery of oneself. Are people really ready to stand in such queues? How much time is lost," noted Natalia Dobrovolskaya.

According to the service "GdeBENZ" (Gdebenz.ru), as of 1:55 AM today, there is no gasoline at most gas stations in Krasnodar. Users of the service indicated that fuel is available at the "Rosneft" gas station on Moskovskaya Street and at the gas station on Krasny Partizany Street. The Gdebenz.ru service is based on user reports, so the information displayed on the map is not official. "Caucasian Knot" does not have the ability to promptly verify the accuracy of the information published by users.