Russian lawmaker proposes priority fuel-station service for Ukraine war participants

People who fought in Russia’s war against Ukraine should be allowed to skip fuel-station queues, according to Kaplan Panesh, deputy chairman of the State Duma’s Budget and Tax Committee.

Panesh said the privilege should become a federal requirement for every fuel station. Drivers seeking priority service would need to show a veteran’s certificate or another document confirming their participation in the war. Employees would be required to serve them without delay, he said.

Anyone denied priority could complain to prosecutors or Russia’s consumer protection watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor. The proposal comes as fuel queues returned to Russian filling stations in August amid shortages linked to new Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries.

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Participants in the special military operation should not have to stand in fuel queues for hours. This is not only a matter of convenience, but also of respect for their service.

By the end of that month, at least 17 Russian regions had imposed limits on fuel sales. Restrictions included caps of 30 to 40 litres per vehicle and alternating service for cars with even- and odd-numbered plates.

At least seven Russian refineries fully or partly halted production in August after drone strikes, while petrol output fell to about 70 percent of domestic demand. On September 2, the Kinef refinery in the Leningrad region, Russia’s second-largest by capacity, stopped completely. Ukrainian drones have struck Russian refineries at least 70 times since the start of the year, and oil processing has fallen to its lowest level in at least two decades.

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A fuel-station employee would be required to serve such a driver without waiting in line.