Drone Attacks on Omsk: Russia's Fuel Supply Wavers

Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Nowak insists that supply bottlenecks will only occur at individual gas stations, while demand for fuel has risen by 20 to 30 percent nationwide. The reality in the regions looks different, however: in some areas, drivers are waiting in queues for up to 36 hours. "People fear they will no longer be able to move around normally, go to work and look after their children," one resident reports. "It's literally a fight for survival," she says.

A resident from the Krasnodar region writes on Telegram: "I'm now officially a pedestrian," and recounts that she was unable to fuel her car because a local gas station was selling gasoline only to "special vehicles." This category also includes cars belonging to government officials, according to the Russian online magazine 7x7. One driver describes arriving at a gas station at 5 a.m. and spending the night in her car. On social networks, places in queues are reportedly being resold for up to 35,000 rubles (roughly 400 euros).

Boom in Online Retail

The scarcity is simultaneously fueling online retail: in June, sales on the CDEK.Shopping platform rose by 131 percent compared to May, with revenue climbing by 263 percent, the company told the Russian portal Afisha. "This is driving demand through the roof," Wedernikov said on the Russian state messaging app Max.

Polls: Russians Between War Weariness and Desire for Negotiations

The supply problems hit Russia at a politically sensitive moment. According to a survey by the Russian "Public Opinion Foundation" (FOM), conducted on 19 June, support for continuing the military operation dropped from 74 to 69 percent within a week. Currently, 30 percent favor the military operation — six percentage points more than in March 2026. At the same time, a majority of 60 percent of those surveyed believe Russia should enter peace negotiations.

Warnings of Consequences for the Harvest

The economic consequences of the drone attacks extend beyond the fuel sector. As agricultural regions are also affected and the harvest is approaching, Duma deputy Nina Ostanina warns on Telegram: "Why are the agriculture minister and the deputy prime minister responsible for his portfolio silent on the eve of the harvest? After all, the country could end up without grain, which, given the international sanctions, would amount to a death sentence," Ostanina wrote on her Telegram channel.

The attacks on Omsk follow a series of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian energy infrastructure that have been systematically expanded in recent months. With the refinery now hit, the conflict has reached a nerve center of Russia's fuel supply. Reuters rates the outage as the most consequential blow to the country's petrochemical industry to date.

Economic analysts note that the Russian economy is already under pressure from international sanctions, rising military spending and the loss of Western markets. With the Omsk refinery out of action, prices at the pumps continue to rise, haulage firms must cut trips, and agriculture, according to Ostanina, is also expecting bottlenecks. The war in Ukraine is thus increasingly affecting the everyday supply situation of the population.