Due to popular uprising Putin is preparing troops against Russians; civil war in Russia

Fear of social unrest and popular unrest due to acute fuel shortages has forced the Kremlin to deploy security forces to guard ordinary gas stations. The Institute for the Study of War reports this, citing insider sources. According to analysts, since August 18th, 2026, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has deployed Rosgvardia units to patrol at least 13 gas stations in the Moscow region and occupied Crimea. The primary goal of these measures is to contain violence and mass discontent among citizens erupting over strict restrictions on gasoline sales. ISW notes that the deployment of the Russian National Guard demonstrates that the Kremlin has absolutely no confidence in the ability of regular police to cope with the scale of potential unrest and views the fuel crisis itself as a long-term threat. In parallel with the forceful measures at gas stations, Russian authorities are urgently changing legislation in preparation for a brutal crackdown on protests. A government commission has approved a bill allowing Russian Emergencies Ministry personnel to use physical force and firearms when performing their duties. Although the Kremlin officially disguises this decision as protection from Ukrainian drones, ISW analysts are convinced that the document was created to provide security forces with legal grounds to disperse riots with armed force. The amendments to the civil defense law are being introduced against the backdrop of two of the regime's greatest fears, persistent gasoline shortages and the potential forced mobilization that Putin plans to carry out immediately after the September State Duma elections. Russian authorities [music] extended restrictions on gasoline exports, but this failed to stop the renewed worsening of the fuel shortage. Amid the fuel shortage, Moscow is also forced to seek additional volumes of petroleum products abroad, including in Asian countries and the Middle East. Gasoline availability problems have been observed in Russia for several months. A new wave of shortages began to emerge in late May, when restrictions on fuel sales began to spread even to Russia's largest cities. According to data cited by Russian media outlets, citing the GD Benz mobile app, by August 18th, gasoline was available at only approximately 28% of gas stations nationwide. Just a week earlier, this figure stood at approximately 41%. Thus, fuel availability has significantly decreased over a short period of time. Problems are being reported in several regions of Russia, including areas that regularly experience the consequences of Ukrainian long-range strikes. A decrease in gasoline availability was noted, among other places, in the Moscow, Volgograd, Chelyabinsk, Orenburg, Voronezh, Samara, Penza, Saratov, Lipetsk, and Rostov regions, as well as in Tatarstan. Problems have also affected the Moscow region. Gazprom Neft [music] confirmed that gasoline volumes have been restricted at some Moscow gas stations. The company stated that it is taking measures to increase supplies. According to ISW analysts, the situation is also indicative because the Russian leadership has long sought to shield the population of large cities in the western part of the country from the direct consequences of the war. The spread of fuel shortages to Moscow indicates that the authorities' ability to compensate for the consequences of attacks on oil infrastructure is becoming more limited. >> Mhm.