Meduza data analysis: nationwide gasoline sales down 55% year-on-year

Meduza analyzed 478,685 crowdsourced fuel-availability reports from the GdeBENZ app, covering 25,129 gas stations between July 4 and August 23, to size up the second wave of the crisis. Gasoline sales in August 1-20 ran 55% below the same period in 2025, with combined gasoline-and-diesel volume down 34%. The worst-hit regions were Kirov, Karachay-Cherkessia, Mari El, Stavropol Krai, Lipetsk, Mordovia and Udmurtia. Moscow availability fell from 75% of stations in late July to about 30% by mid-August. In occupied Crimea, where formal sales have been suspended since June, black-market gasoline reportedly sold for 200-350 RUB/liter. Meduza tied the deterioration to 15 confirmed refinery strikes between July 25 and August 20, hitting facilities in Tyumen, Ryazan, Perm, Volgograd, Ufa, Syzran, Yaroslavl, Ilsky, Nizhnekamsk, Orsk and Salavat regions. The situation eased slightly after Aug 20, but Meduza cautioned it was too early to call the crisis over heading into autumn.