'As Long as There's No Beer Shortage': Russians Mock Fuel Crisis in Memes
Russian social media is flooded with memes mocking the fuel crisis caused by Ukrainian drone strikes on oil refineries, with jokes about price hikes, shortages, and imports from India.
Russians are turning to humor to cope with a severe fuel crisis that has led to rationing, long queues at gas stations, soaring prices, and reports of empty pumps in several regions. The disruptions follow a wave of Ukrainian drone strikes on oil refineries and energy infrastructure.
A popular meme shows President Vladimir Putin filling up his own car at a gas station like an ordinary Russian, with the caption: "These prices..."
Another meme plays on the derogatory Russian slang term "tarelochnitsa" ("dinner dater"), used for women who only go on dates to eat at expensive restaurants for free. With gasoline now scarce, the joke suggests fuel has become so valuable that women are seeking men for gas instead of dinner.
A third meme satirizes the authorities' habit of blaming the West for domestic problems, depicting U.S. Presidents Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and Barack Obama carrying gasoline cans away from a Russian station.
The phrase "As long as there's no beer shortage" encapsulates public fatigue with the war.
Despite being one of the world's largest oil producers, Russia has started importing gasoline from India to ease shortages. The Kremlin confirmed talks with other countries to purchase fuel and stabilize the market. Users responded with a meme: "Happy Russia-started-buying-gasoline-from-India Day!"
In Russian, the Telegram app is often shortened to "telega," which also means "horse-drawn wagon." One meme shows a driver using the state-backed Max app, while another says he still uses "telega" (Telegram). Then the driver sees a "No gasoline" sign, implying that a telega (wagon) no longer needs fuel.
Another joke: "Russia is so rich that it can afford to shoot down drones with oil refinery lids" — a reference to a lid blown into the air during a Ukrainian drone strike on Moscow's Kapotnya refinery.
