"Tried to explain that 30 liters is not enough." A Belarusian IT specialist traveled through Russia and shared his impressions

"The man tried to explain to the cashier that 30 liters was not enough for him"

I've been living and working in Moscow for over two years now. I usually work in the office, although I have a "hybrid" setup and can be away from the office for weeks.

Fuel shortages are, of course, noticeable. In Moscow, this can mean queues at gas stations, or simply a lack of fuel at private stations (they get it last).

I recently traveled to see the city of Kazan. By train, because plane flights are often canceled or postponed, but trains run without any delays. The situation there is similar, maybe even worse. Because the queues are noticeably longer than in Moscow.

The price of fuel at private gas stations in Moscow is generally astronomical: 120 rubles [$1.53] per liter of 95-octane gasoline, at state-owned stations it's 72-80 rubles [$0.92-$1.02]. In Kazan, it's a couple of rubles less.

There are no completely closed gas stations; they all sell something: gas, diesel fuel. Later, they bring gasoline, and they try to hold onto it longer with high prices.

Павялічыць

The disruptions mainly concern gasoline (92, 95, 100). Diesel is often available, but even that sometimes runs out by evening. But I always saw gas at all gas stations.

The limit for gasoline is 30 liters. I don't know about diesel fuel limits, I didn't ask. The limit works through the cashier, who simply doesn't ring up more than 30 liters. You can't approach twice while the car is at the pump either. Of course, you can go to another gas station or queue up again. But for most people, 30 liters of fuel is a week's worth of car use, so they probably don't have such an urgent need.

I don't know if it's been fixed or not, but you could fill 30 liters through the cashier, then go into the "T-refueling" app, pay through it, and fill another 30 liters. These online refueling services cannot be tracked. Ultimately, I only saw this online, so I don't guarantee accuracy.

These disruptions have not affected daily life, public transport, deliveries, or carsharing. I don't observe anything similar in Moscow. I get to work by public transport – everything is stable there. Although there are queues at gas stations, they are not like in the regions. I stood for a maximum of 30 minutes, usually everything is even faster. But this is in my area. Moscow is huge, I don't know what it's like in other areas.

I haven't seen any change in people's behavior or aggression at gas stations either. The most that happened was a man trying to explain to the cashier for a minute that 30 liters was not enough for him. And he did not win that argument.

"There is even some threat and danger personally for me"

I have only seen the direct consequences of drone strikes in news publics all this time. Ultimately, I always understood that they exist, and there is even some threat and danger personally for me. I am perfectly aware of this risk.

"In Kazan, there is simply no other internet"

In Kazan, in the city center, I simply had no mobile internet. What surprised me was that my internet was restricted simply upon entering Tatarstan when I crossed the border between the republics [of Tatarstan and Chuvashia]. I didn't expect that at all.

An SMS arrived: "Welcome to Tatarstan! For security purposes, mobile internet may be restricted, blah blah blah. See available sites via the link...". Taxi works, Yandex browser, most likely VK (I don't have it). And literally, there is no "other" internet.

Even when mobile internet was available (on the embankment, in the very center of Kazan, I had one bar of signal, even "whitelisted sites" didn't work), I couldn't always stably connect to my VPN.

Павялічыць

It seemed like not just "whitelists," but a complete disconnection of international connections via mobile internet. At the same time, Wi-Fi always worked stably.

"At work, we have a corporate VPN, so everything is stable there"

Internet in Moscow is much better. I have my own VPN; I only pay $50 a year for server rental. My girlfriend, some acquaintances, and I use it. At work, we have a corporate VPN, so everything is stable there.

All companies, including state structures, use VPNs. Large companies, like mine, set up their servers through trusted individuals and use them. Smaller companies simply rent servers from regular cloud providers.

"It's simpler in Belarus now"

In Belarus, it's simply easier to work and enjoy the benefits of civilization now. You don't have "whitelists," restrictions, etc.

Yes, I have plans to relocate. There is currently an opportunity to move without changing companies. I have identified several options for myself: back home to Belarus, to Kazakhstan, or to Georgia.

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