Russia fuel crisis prompts remote-work appeal in Siberia

Authorities in Russia's Novosibirsk region have urged employers to switch staff to remote work and asked residents to limit car travel during a deepening fuel crisis.

A regional government decree dated Wednesday and published by Russian media on Friday recommended that employers reduce fuel consumption. It also recommended that residents limit private vehicle travel within the Novosibirsk region and beyond its borders until a high-alert status is lifted.

The announcement came after Ukraine struck an oil refinery in neighbouring Omsk earlier this week, knocking out one of Russia's largest oil processing facilities by capacity.

Authorities in the neighbouring Tomsk region have also encouraged remote work, and the city of Irkutsk further east has recommended employees work from home.

Local media reports and officials say more than 90 percent of Russian regions have experienced fuel shortages since June. Russian President Vladimir Putin has acknowledged the shortages but said they are "not critical" and accused Kyiv of trying to sow division in Russian society.