Petrol shortage sends Russians searching Wildberries marketplace for fuel cans

Amid a new wave of fuel shortages in Russia, the number of searches for petrol cans on Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer, has quadrupled over the course of a week to top 106,000.

Source: The Moscow Times, an independent Amsterdam-based news outlet

Interest in fuel cans has also risen sharply in search engines. Between 10 and 16 August, Russians searched Yandex for the word "jerrycan" over 450,000 times, 39% more than the previous week. There were 139,000 searches for "petrol can", 71% more than in early August. Google Trends shows a similar pattern.

Buyers said in reviews on online marketplaces that they were purchasing fuel cans because of queues at petrol stations and difficulties finding fuel.

Fuel shortages in Russia have worsened again following a new series of strikes on oil refineries in late July and early August. Reuters reported that fuel sale restrictions have been reinstated in at least 10 Russian regions.

On 19 August, limits were also introduced at a number of petrol stations in Moscow. Rosneft, a major Russian state-controlled oil and gas company, has limited petrol sales to 30 litres per car, Tatneft to 50 litres, and Gazprom Neft has introduced limits of 40-60 litres depending on the type of filling station. Reuters also reported queues at some petrol stations in and around Moscow.

Background:

• In mid-August, several Russian regions introduced a rationing system for petrol and diesel due to shortages after Ukraine resumed near-daily attacks on oil refineries across the country.
• Earlier, it was reported that Russia had been hit by a new wave of the fuel crisis after the situation had stabilised somewhat in late July.

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