What did Russia’s last severe fuel crisis look like? Rewind to the 1990s, the decade Putin calls ‘hungry, cold, and hopeless.’

Meduza reports Russia is facing a fuel crisis that rivals the early nineteen-nineties in both scale and severity. That period saw widespread gasoline shortages, sales restrictions, and long lines at pumps—years Putin has called "terrible, hungry, cold, and hopeless." When ration coupons were scrapped, drivers were forced to carry large sums of cash and weapons for protection. By nineteen-ninety-nine, fuel prices had surged from two rubles to nine rubles. The current situation echoes an era Russia's government has long invoked as a cautionary tale of national hardship.

Listen to this story

Hear this and more stories in a personalized audio briefing.

Open The Chonkerton