Russians urged to work from home amid fuel crisis

Authorities in Russia’s Novosibirsk region have urged residents to work remotely and limit travel by car, amid a deepening fuel crisis triggered by Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries.The region, home to almost three million people, is one of the largest in Siberia by population and a major economic and manufacturing hub. The announcement comes after Ukraine struck an oil refinery in the neighbouring region of Omsk earlier this week, knocking out one of Russia’s largest oil processing facilities by capacity.More than 90% of Russian regions have experienced fuel shortages since June, some of which have introduced rationing at petrol stations and bans on filling jerry cans, according to local media reports and officials.In a decree dated Wednesday but published by Russian media on Friday, Novosibirsk govt recommended employers “switch staff to remote working and reduce fuel consumption”. Ukraine has targeted Russian oil infrastructure throughout the four-and-a-half year war, strikes that it says are retaliation for attacks on its civilians.(AFP)