A Russian driver traveling home toward Saint Petersburg reported spending roughly 39 hours in line for gasoline in Chita, Siberia, as fuel shortages created long queues and severe limits on how much each car could buy. The account, shared in an interview carried by Meduza, described the driver—identified only as Vlad—and his wife leaving Vladivostok after picking up a newly purchased car, then being forced to stop in Chita to refuel.

He said he joined the line at a Rosneft station on June 28 at 11 p.m., but the tank was not filled until June 30 in the early afternoon. Vlad estimated that about a thousand vehicles were ahead of him and that the queue advanced only about 50 meters every 40 minutes.

According to his account, stations in the city were distributing small quantities per vehicle, and he noted that his chosen Rosneft station capped the fill at 50 liters. He also blamed the shortage on suppliers delivering limited amounts to each outlet—describing deliveries of around 500 liters to the station.

Vlad reported that local traffic police were present because drivers could become violent in the line, though he said he did not witness major conflicts during his wait. To endure the delay, the couple rented a nearby hotel room and took turns while the car slowly inched forward.

He described Chita as a critical bottleneck for drivers crossing Russia, saying the next station to the east was an 11-hour drive away and that there was effectively no fuel available between, funneling many vehicles into the same queue. He expected the disruption to continue until larger fuel companies consolidate distribution once conditions stabilize, but for now his immediate priority was simply reaching Saint Petersburg.