Claim
Russia, which has the ninth-largest crude oil reserves in the world, is seeing long queues at its petrol pumps.
“जिस रशिया के पास पूरी दुनिया में कच्चे तेल का नौवां सबसे बड़ा भंडार है। उसी रशिया में पेट्रोल पंप्स पर लंबी-लंबी लाइनें लगी हैं”▶ Watch source segment
Rationale
Both components of the claim hold as of the 2026-07-02 broadcast. Russia's proven crude reserves (~80 billion barrels) rank ninth globally per Worldometer/EIA-derived data (some sources using higher reserve estimates rank Russia 6th-8th, so 'ninth' is defensible, not overstated). Long queues at Russian petrol stations were extensively documented by multiple wire and news agencies in late June and early July 2026, driven by Ukrainian drone strikes taking roughly a third of refining capacity offline; Putin himself acknowledged the queues on 2026-06-29.
Evidence
- https://www.worldometers.info/oil/russia-oil/ Russia holds ~80 billion barrels of proven crude oil reserves, ranking 9th in the world (~4.5% of global total), matching the anchor's 'ninth-largest' figure. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.euronews.com/2026/07/02/russias-petrol-crisis-worsens-as-citizens-feel-the-bite-of-moscows-war-in-ukraine Euronews report dated the same day as the broadcast: petrol crisis worsening across Russia, with rationing and long queues at filling stations. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.rferl.org/a/fuel-crisis-hits-moscow-after-ukrainian-strikes-on-refineries/33791272.html RFE/RL documents hour-long lines at Moscow gas stations as fuel shortages spread across Russia after Ukrainian drone strikes on refineries. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/29/putin-russia-fuel-shortages-ukraine-drone-strikes.html Putin publicly acknowledged days before the broadcast that 'there are still queues at petrol stations,' confirming the shortage from a primary source. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025%E2%80%932026_Russian_fuel_crisis Documents the ongoing 2025–2026 Russian fuel crisis, with more than half of Russia's regions reporting gasoline shortages and rationing. ✓ reachable · archived