According to the Democracy Research Institute, there is a fuel shortage in occupied Abkhazia, and residents and tourists in Sokhumi and other cities are waiting for hours to fill up with fuel.

According to them, the current situation once again shows how severely Russia’s internal economic and logistical problems are affecting the occupied region.

“In occupied Abkhazia, August began with an acute fuel shortage and long queues. In Sokhumi and other cities, residents and tourists have been waiting for hours to fill up with fuel, while prices at private gas stations have risen sharply and become practically unaffordable for a large part of the population.

The current situation once again shows how closely the Abkhazian economy is dependent on Russia and how severely Russia’s internal economic and logistical problems are affecting the occupied region.

After Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, Western sanctions and Ukrainian drone attacks on oil refineries and logistics centers have created an acute shortage in the fuel market and led to an increase in prices. Under these conditions, occupied Abkhazia, which is entirely dependent on Russian fuel supplies, has proven to be particularly vulnerable.

Today, fuel at Rosneft gas stations is relatively cheap, which is why there are kilometer-long queues there, and there is a 20-liter filling limit per car. At private stations, fuel is much more expensive, reaching 100 rubles, which is why a significant part of the population is forced to wait in line for hours.

Despite the fact that the de facto authorities are spreading information about the import of additional fuel consignments, the existing volumes are not able to overcome the crisis in the conditions of the tourist season.

The fuel crisis once again emphasizes that the economic dependence of Abkhazia occupied by Russia makes the region particularly vulnerable. The challenges arising from the Russian economy, including the ongoing war against Ukraine, directly affect the daily lives of the Abkhazian population, which is manifested in fuel shortages, rising prices, and the deterioration of the social situation of the population,” reads the information.