Regions Calling: Russia's Fuel-Producing Hub Struggles to Shake Off Supply Crisis

Hello and welcome to Regions Calling , your guide to developments from beyond the Russian capital by The Moscow Times. Nearly a month on, Russians are still reeling from fuel shortages triggered by Ukrainian attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure. Though fuel availability varies widely from region to region, the ripple effects of the crisis can still be felt even in areas where shuttered gas stations have reopened. Meanwhile, people are reporting rising food and transportation costs driven by the shortages and small farmers are sounding the alarm about the future of their farms. To gauge the trajectory of the ongoing crisis, we are zooming in on the republic of Bashkortostan , the country’s leading producer of diesel fuel and gasoline. But first, the latest news: The Headlines Two business owners from the republic of Sakha (Yakutia) are facing backlash after posting photos from a trophy hunt in South Africa in which they killed a male and female lion, with critics saying that the trip violated the hunting code of the republic’s Indigenous people. “Any Sakha knows that killing an animal for anything other than food is a grave sin,” Sakha blogger Daina wrote . Residents are calling for a boycott of businesses owned by the couple. At least 630 dead dolphins have washed ashore in the southern Krasnodar region in the first half of 2026, according to data published by the local dolphin rescue center Delfacenter. The number equals the combined total for 2025 and 2024 , which were two of the deadliest years on record, according to volunteers. Experts cited acoustic stress from underwater explosions, sonar and military vessels as potential causes of internal injuries. Authorities in the Novosibirsk region , located over 2,500 kilometers (1,500 miles) from Russia’s border with Ukraine, issued their first-ever drone threat alert on Monday, in the latest signal that Ukrainian drone attacks can reach as far as Siberia. Earlier the same day, a Ukrainian drone strike targeted Russia's largest oil refinery in the neighboring Omsk region . The Siberian republic of Buryatia has increased the one-time monetary reward for signing a contract with the Russian army by 500,000 rubles ($6,500), bringing the total sign-up bonus to 2.1 million rubles ($27,500). Buryatia’s 2026 draft budget allocates 2.4 billion rubles ($31.5 million) for recruitment payments, suggesting that authorities plan to enlist about 1,600 new contract soldiers. One of Russia’s poorest regions, Buryatia has suffered disproportionately high military losses in the war in Ukraine. Authorities in Siberia’s Krasnoyarsk region are investigating a large oil spill on the Yenisei River after residents of the region’s capital Krasnoyarsk complained of an iridescent slick stretching across the water and a strong gasoline smell. The Yenisei River, which originates in Mongolia, is one of the three major Siberian rivers emptying into the Arctic Ocean. The Spotlight Situated on the southern slopes of the Ural Mountains, Bashkortostan , Russia’s most populous ethnic republic, is the country’s leading producer of diesel fuel and gasoline. The republic’s four refineries boast a combined annual capacity of 34.1 million metric tons, more than any other region in Russia. But not even this refining powerhouse has been able to weather the nationwide fuel crisis . In the republic's capital Ufa, whose skyline is dominated by the brightly lit towers and pipes of oil refineries, people waited in line for hours to buy gasoline, with purchases rationed at 30 liters per customer. Many gas stations were forced to close altogether. “The issue isn't that there is no fuel, but rather that [the government] failed to address logistics and planning for timely delivery to all consumers,” an economist from Bashkortostan told RFE/RL’s Volga-Ural service Idel.Realii. Last month’s shutdown of a Gazprom Neft-operated refinery in southeast Moscow following a major Ukrainian drone attack triggered fuel shortages in the capital in addition to the already struggling annexed Crimea. “Instead of promptly using strategic reserves, [authorities] began shipping fuel from all over Russia to Moscow, diverting regional supplies to the capital, which triggered shortages in the regions,” the expert said, speaking anonymously due to Idel.Realii being labeled an “undesirable” organization by Russia. “The reserves have finally been released, but it will take time for the situation to calm down,” they added. Bashkortostan’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Sheldyayev also confirmed that the republic was tasked with “ensuring energy security of the entire country.” The republic has been supplying “neighboring regions” with fuel, he said, which in turn caused shortages at home despite Bashkortostan’s refineries “showing 10% year on year growth in output.” Authorities recorded up to 800 cars lining up at Ufa’s gas stations at the peak of the crisis. By Monday, this number had dropped to an estimated 170, “ meaning five t