Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has warned that the fuel shortage in Russia could also have consequences for Belarus. She noted that in recent days, social media has been flooded with footage from Russian filling stations showing long queues of motorists searching for fuel, and now lines of Russian drivers have also appeared at the Belarusian-Russian border.
“Russian drivers are already waiting for hours not only at the main Minsk–Moscow crossing but even on secondary roads. Many are traveling to Belarus, including to buy fuel, because beyond Smolensk, AI-95 gasoline is already disappearing. The fuel shortage in Russia is a direct consequence of its aggressive war against Ukraine,” the leader of the Belarusian democratic forces said.
She warned that increased fuel exports to Russia could eventually lead to shortages within Belarus itself.
“The only question is how long this can continue without consequences for Belarusians themselves. Fuel that is being exported today could become scarce at our own filling stations tomorrow. When the state ties itself ever more closely to someone else’s war, the consequences inevitably reach everyday life. They affect prices in shops, product supplies, the operation of businesses, agriculture, and, most importantly, people’s sense of security,” she said.
“Belarusian fuel should not be used to solve the problems the Kremlin has created through its war. If the regime is increasing fuel supplies to Russia, then it is clearly interested only in serving the aggressor, not in the well-being or security of Belarusians. Every such step makes Belarus more vulnerable economically, politically, and from a security standpoint,” Tsikhanouskaya stressed.
