Russian Guide Saves Business Amid Abkhazia Fuel Crisis

The fuel crisis that swept Sochi this summer did not spare neighboring Abkhazia. For Russians working there as tour guides, it became a true catastrophe: no fuel — no work. Russian tourists keep calling, eager to see Ritsa (a mountain lake and national park), New Athos (a historic monastery town), and the Gagra Colonnade, but there is no way to drive them. Queues at gas stations stretch for kilometers, people wait 15 hours, and gasoline disappears faster than it arrives.

One of those pushed to the brink is guide Valery Belogurov, author of the blog “The Abkhaz Captive.” He had nearly accepted that the season was lost, but a twist of fate brought him back. His first-person account of surviving the fuel collapse and what he now advises tourists is available in his story.

First a cold June, then a puzzling July, and when summer finally arrived, gasoline vanished

I did suspect this summer would be tough. But not this tough…

First a cold June. Then a puzzling July. And when the stars finally aligned, the sea warmed up, the weather settled, and tourists poured into sunny Abkhazia — gasoline disappeared. Not just for me. For the whole country. Following neighboring Sochi, where the fuel crisis was already howling at full volume, it hit us too.

On the seventh, I was driving tourists on a tour. I decided to fill up just in case. I waited half an hour, filled 20 liters (about 5.3 gallons) under the limit. “I’ll swing by in the evening and fill up more,” I thought. But in the evening there were about a hundred cars at the station.

“Fine,” I decided. “I’ll go tomorrow, wait, I’ll have time.” The next day the queue was so long you couldn’t see the end. I circled around, drove about, and thought: “Well, I’ll definitely wait in the evening. For sure. So I’ll know I’m spending time but will get fuel.” After two hours of waiting, I realized: a little more and I’d just keel over. Each engine start was harder. After the tenth, it barely turned over. I turned around and left. That was my last start.

My friend — a taxi driver — waited 15 hours at a gas station

My friend Alexey, a taxi driver, ran his tank to empty the next day. To stay in business, he set off at 8 p.m. to a Rosneft station toward Bzyb (a village in Abkhazia). He took a thermos and sandwiches. You know when he filled up? At 11 a.m. After standing for 15 hours.

He described such details you could write a novel. Dancing with tambourines, fights, shouting, yelling, everyone pushing in from all sides with canisters. Luckily, traffic police showed up — they channeled the chaos. The queue turned toward Pitsunda (a resort town) and stretched another 300 meters that way. Three hundred meters, Karl! Honestly, I got bummed out.

Every day subscribers write: “Valera, let’s go to Ritsa! Valera, let’s go to Athos!” And I have one thought: “People, have you seen those queues? After a night like that at a gas station, what work can you do?”

Epiphany: my car has gas, and I nearly jumped for joy.

And then it hit me. Damn it. What am I doing?

My trusty Mazda MPV, which I bought from a Russian owner, had a little surprise. LPG equipment. Propane. Honestly, I had forgotten all about it. Then I remembered — and nearly jumped out of my underwear with joy.

First thing, I drove to the Pitsunda gas station. It wouldn’t turn on. That’s when real sadness began. The equipment was there but not working. And I had never dealt with gas at all. I scoured the internet. For two days I called everyone I knew, all Abkhazians, all mechanics. And it turned out something astonishing: in all of Abkhazia there is not a single auto-gas specialist. Not in Sukhum, not in Gudauta, not in Gagra.

And why? Because gasoline used to be cheaper than gas. No point in bothering. Now, when gasoline has vanished, there are no specialists and none to be found. I got even more bummed. Having a car ready to run on gas but unable to start it is a special form of torture.

We found it — and miracle of miracles! — everything worked. Filled a full tank in 20 minutes

I was already mentally preparing for nighttime gas-station runs. I thought: “I’ll push the car in neutral, God willing, I’ll roll in somehow.” But then Alexey and I decided to take a tester and check the circuit. If there’s no power, we need to find where it’s lost. And we found it! Thank God, there was simply no fuse in the circuit. We put one in. And — miracle of miracles — everything worked.

Yesterday I filled a full tank. Good for 300 kilometers (about 186 miles). It took 20 minutes. Now my subscribers and I are driving in all four directions. Abkhazia is at our feet again.

My advice: bring canisters

But for everyone else not on gas — my sincere sympathy. Because yes, the promised thousand tons from Russia arrived. But what is that? It’s a one-time fill-up for 20,000 cars. In Abkhazia alone there are about 75,000 registered vehicles. And how many have come from Russia! Sochi residents, whose situation is even worse, were coming to us to fill up. A mess, in short.

My advice to all motorists: if you’re going to Abkhazia, bring full canisters of gasoline. The situation won’t improve until September. Many cars, little fuel, and until Russian tourists leave, the strain will be constant.

And for those on gas — here are the coordinates: the station is on the road to Pitsunda, past the bridge over the Bzyb, 200 meters. Open 9 to 5 daily, Sunday until 4. The price of gas will shock many: 55 rubles (about $1) per liter of propane. But it’s no longer about saving. The question is simple: you either drive or live in a queue.

So, guys, enjoy your vacation. And if anyone wants to tour Abkhazia, I’m back in action.