STORY: Drivers in the town of Gatchina, about 35 km (22 miles) southwest of St Petersburg, on Friday (July 3) waited for hours to buy fuel as gasoline shortages continued to affect parts of Russia, leaving long queues at filling stations and some pumps out of service.

"My tank is almost empty right now, and the car is starting to stall; I don't know if I'll make it to the filling station," said Daria, a local resident waiting to refuel. "Since they won't sell fuel into canisters, I'll probably have to leave the car right here."

At one station, several fuel pumps were marked out of service while attendants allowed vehicles through one at a time.

"I've been waiting in line for an hour and a half now," said Irina, who was travelling with her children. "The kids are going stir-crazy in the car."

Other drivers said the shortages were disrupting their daily routines and forcing them to spend hours queueing after work.

"We've noticed that there's less gasoline," said local resident Gennadiy. "Standing in queues after work isn't exactly fun."

Victoria, another driver, said that queues had been growing over recent days.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: GATCHINA, LENINGRAD REGION, RUSSIA (JULY 3, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. (MUTE) CARS QUEUING AT FILLING STATION SHOT FROM A WINDOW OF A CAR PASSING BY

2. VARIOUS OF CARS QUEUING AT FILLING STATION

3. VARIOUS OF FUEL PUMP WITH NOZZLES OUT OF SERVICE

4. (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) LOCAL RESIDENT, DARIA, NO LAST NAME GIVEN, SAYING:

"My tank is (almost) empty right now, and the car is starting to stall; I don't know if I'll make it to the filling station. Since they won't sell fuel into canisters, I'll probably have to leave the car right here."

5. WOMAN PUTTING NOZZLE IN TANK OF HER CAR

6. NOZZLE IN TANK

7. (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) LOCAL RESIDENT, IRINA, NO LAST NAME GIVEN, SAYING:

"I’ve been waiting in line for an hour and a half now. It’s a frustrating situation because they’re only letting cars through one by one, which is really stressful. The kids are going stir-crazy in the car, thank goodness for cartoons, they’re a lifesaver."

8. CARS QUEUING AT FILLING STATION

9. (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) LOCAL RESIDENTS, GENNADIY AND ANASTASIA, NO LAST NAMES GIVEN, SAYING:

"GENNADIY: Yes, we've noticed that there's less gasoline, right? (ANASTASIA: We've noticed, yes.) GENNADIY: And that’s having a negative impact on us. Standing in queues after work isn't exactly fun. (ANASTASIA: Yes, we’re forced to stand in queues for two hours after work, completely worn out.) GENNADIY: And then, a couple of days later, I’ll have to stand in queues again, because I’ll run out of gas again."

10. VARIOUS OF WOMAN FILLING HER CAR

11. NOZZLE IN TANK

12. (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) LOCAL RESIDENT, VICTORIA, NO LAST NAME GIVEN, SAYING:

"We’re feeling the effects of the gasoline shortage. You have to wait in lines. I’ve actually timed it - I’ve been waiting for an hour and twenty minutes now. The last time I filled up was about four days ago, and I had to wait in line for 30 minutes then, too. That was at a Gazpromneft station. But the Gazpromneft stations are all empty now, and as far as I know, the Rosneft stations only have 100-octane fuel left. All in all, we really feel the situation getting tight. That’s it. It’s very sad; there’s nothing more to say."

13. VARIOUS OF CLOSED 'GAZPROMNEFT' FILLING STATION