A high-alert regime took effect in Russia’s Penza region on June 30 as authorities sought to stabilize the domestic fuel market.
Governor Oleg Melnichenko signed the relevant decree on June 29. The regime will remain in force until further notice.
Penza became the third Russian region to introduce such a special regime in connection with the fuel crisis. Zabaikalye and the Irkutsk region had adopted similar measures earlier.
The spread of such regimes coincided with discussions about possibly postponing September’s State Duma elections.
Russian law does allow elections to be postponed under certain emergency regimes. However, for federal elections, the relevant regime must be in force across all of Russia or in at least one-third of its federal subjects.
The regimes in three regions therefore do not by themselves create a legal basis for postponing the State Duma elections. There is also no evidence that the measures were introduced to influence the election calendar.