A patchwork of fuel-rationing measures is expanding across Russia, with at least six regions now restricting petrol sales according to whether a vehicle’s number plate ends in an odd or even digit. The system, first introduced in Oryol region on 4 July, has since been adopted in Astrakhan, Nizhny Novgorod, Mordovia, Pskov and Lipetsk, with several other regions studying similar steps. In parallel, the annexed city of Sevastopol and the Zabaikalsky territory have moved to QR-code-based distribution, while Nizhny Novgorod plans a pilot of the same mechanism. The immediate trigger, according to regional officials, is the need to manage queues that in some areas have left drivers waiting for days.

The rationing logic is straightforward: on even-numbered dates, only cars with plates ending in an even digit may fill up; on odd dates, the reverse. Most regions have also imposed per-vehicle limits of 20–30 litres, banned sales into canisters, and exempted emergency services. The restrictions do not apply to diesel or gas in several areas, and some regions have carved out exceptions for federal highways. The measures are a response to physical shortages at the pump, not price controls, and are being enacted by regional authorities and retail chains rather than by a central government decree.

Behind the supply crunch lie repeated Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian refineries, most recently a 6 July attack that halted operations at the Omsk facility, one of the country’s largest. The federal government has banned diesel exports until 31 July and is negotiating fuel imports, but the damage has rippled through domestic logistics. In Krasnodar region, a key agricultural and tourist zone, 192 of 1,029 filling stations remained closed as of early July, though 177 had reopened after a low point. Moscow-based technology firms have stepped into the information void: Sberbank and Yandex each launched interactive maps that use anonymised transaction data or driver reports to indicate which stations still have fuel, covering tens of thousands of outlets.

Kazakhstan, meanwhile, has deployed 59 police posts at border crossings to inspect vehicles for extra fuel tanks, reporting 255 violations since the start of the year, 195 of them by foreign citizens. The authorities have not specified the nationalities involved, but the move coincides with a surge in cross-border “fuel tourism” from neighbouring Russian regions. With refinery repairs expected to take weeks and seasonal demand remaining high, the next milestone to watch is the expiry of the diesel export ban at the end of July, which will test whether domestic supply has stabilised sufficiently to avoid a further tightening of rationing.