"93" Gasoline Has Appeared In Russia
- 21.08.2026, 18:20
It tastes more like cognac than fuel.
A resident of Novorossiysk complained about the quality of the gasoline he bought at a Gazprom gas station on the outskirts of the city. According to him, he had to wait in line for three hours to fill up—and the fuel turned out to be anything but cheap: AI-95 cost 105 rubles per liter.
However, the problems began immediately after refueling: the engine started stalling, the car “sputtered,” and the RPMs fluctuated wildly. Trying to figure out what was wrong, the man drained the gas from the tank—and discovered that the fuel was dark brown.
“This might be cognac, whiskey, strong tea, or dried-fruit compote, but it’s definitely not gas! Yeah, back in the Soviet Union there was a fuel like this—I think they called it ‘93.’ But the cars were different back then, too! The modern auto industry won’t run on that! What are you people doing?! If this keeps up, old VAZs will skyrocket in price, because only they’re capable of ‘guzzling’ this stuff,” the Novorossiyan said indignantly.
As reported by “Izvestia,” the Fit Service auto repair chain noted that, against the backdrop of the fuel crisis in Russia and the authorities’ decision to lower gasoline quality standards, Russians have begun seeking vehicle diagnostics much more frequently. According to the company, in June–July, the number of requests for engine and fuel system repairs rose by 22% year-over-year—to 120,000. Demand grew most sharply for diagnostics of engine components, as well as for work on the fuel injection system, piston assembly, cylinder head, camshaft, and ignition system. In addition, car owners have begun replacing air filters, manifolds, and resonators more frequently, notes The Moscow Times.
Demand for car repair consultations has also risen significantly in several cities with populations over one million—in particular, a large number of such inquiries have been recorded in Perm, Krasnodar, Novosibirsk, Volgograd, and Rostov-on-Don. According to Tatyana Ovchinnikova, director of Fit Service, car owners have started paying closer attention to how their engines run: noticing a loss of power, erratic idling, or increased fuel consumption, they are increasingly asking mechanics to check whether everything is in order with their cars.