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“I would brand them as speculators in the harshest manner, with a hot iron,” he said.
A Russian lawmaker is demanding a harsh crackdown on independent gas stations amid a growing fuel crisis.
Vyacheslav Wegner, a deputy in the Sverdlovsk regional assembly, expressed his fury over local price spikes during an interview with the news outlet RTVI.
Wegner targets private companies using big brand names through franchises. He claims these outlets are ripping off everyday drivers.
Wegner told RTVI that major brands like Gazpromneft or Lukoil charge reasonable prices, but franchise stations are charging double. “Their fuel is already 100 rubles,” he said, adding that the situation is outrageous and starting to anger local residents.
Demanding harsh punishment
The politician wants antitrust regulators and police to investigate small oil depots. He suspects these owners are hoarding older, cheaper stock to boost their margins.
To stop them, Wegner suggested punishing resellers “to the point of branding them as speculators with a hot iron,” according to RTVI.
Wegner believes local leaders have the authority to act decisively. He noted that the president has given regional heads broad powers, “even to the point of confiscating oil reserves, because the regional leader sees all the problems.”
Despite the tension, Wegner insists the agricultural sector remains stable, with farmers harvesting crops without major supply stops. But diesel costs remain a major flashpoint.
The lawmaker lashed out, saying, “What’s more painful for us is the sharp increase in diesel fuel prices caused by these bastards. I would brand them as profiteers with a hot iron, in the harshest possible manner,” RTVI reported.
Growing fuel lines
The crisis has already boiled over into public disruption. As the newspaper Kommersant reported, shortages in Sverdlovsk worsened in late June, forcing some stations to cap sales or close completely. Long lines formed quickly.
The frustration even led to a fight at a gas station in Serov, sparking a police investigation. Meanwhile, state officials claim the issue stems from panic rather than a lack of actual fuel.
According to the local news site E1.RU, Deputy Governor Sergei Shvindt stated that overall fuel shipments match last year’s volumes. However, an antitrust official, Dmitry Shalabodov, confirmed that while major federal stations keep prices steady, independent operators are actively inflating their rates.
