Fuel shortages in Nizhny Novgorod trigger panic buying and station closures

Fuel availability has deteriorated across the Nizhny Novgorod region over the past week, characterized by a 20% drop in deliveries to Lukoil gas stations. The regional Ministry of Energy and Housing and Communal Services confirmed these shortages after residents reported gaps in supply via social media. The reduction in volume has forced several stations to operate with intermittent shutdowns. This pattern triggered panic buying, resulting in "cascade" closures—a mechanism where queues from closed stations migrate to active ones, accelerating the depletion of remaining reserves. To manage the chaos, volunteers were deployed to key fueling points on August 13 to organize queues and provide drivers with status updates. The disruption has also prompted changes in retail policy. Gazpromneft has reintroduced limits on fuel sales for vehicle tanks and specialized containers, reversing a previous decision to lift such restrictions.