Fines for petrol cans in Pskov and arrests in Volgograd: CCD explains how Russia is cracking down on ’petrol’ protests
The fuel crisis in Russia is rapidly laying bare the worst aspects of a police state. Whilst Russia is artificially creating the illusion of ‘prosperity’ in the capital, ordinary residents of the Russian regions have found themselves in the crosshairs of the security forces’ repressive machinery simply for trying to survive.
This is reported by the Centre for Countering Disinformation, according to Censor.NET.
Details
According to the Centre for Countering Disinformation, the Kremlin has placed Moscow on a priority fuel supply regime so that the capital’s bureaucratic elite does not experience any inconvenience and does not pose a risk of protest.
At the same time, security forces across the regions have launched a veritable witch-hunt against ordinary citizens:
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Pskov Region: Local police are carrying out raids on garages and private homes. People are being fined en masse for simply storing petrol cans, on the pretext of ‘breaching fire safety regulations’. In effect, the authorities regard any attempt to keep even a minimal emergency supply of fuel as a criminal offence.
The situation in Volgograd proved to be no less absurd and telling, where the drivers’ outrage led to an attempt to draft a collective petition.
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Reason for the protest: Local officials are freely filling up their tanks using special cards, whilst ordinary drivers are being turned away at petrol stations.
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Five people who were attempting to record a video message addressed to Alexander Bastrykin, head of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, were immediately detained by the police.
Instead of the problem being resolved, the drivers were issued with summonses for an ‘unauthorised assembly’ and were placed under administrative detention.
