Russia: Russia has rolled out multiple measures to stabilize its domestic fuel market after Ukrainian drone attacks targeting Russia's oil refineries and energy infrastructure caused a temporary reduction in gasoline and diesel production volumes, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Wednesday.
According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, the deputy prime minister highlighted during a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and the Russian Cabinet that, despite maximizing the operational capacity of active refineries and releasing reserved fuel stockpiles to the domestic market, the overall fuel market situation remains challenging.
Russian refineries have shortened ongoing maintenance cycles and rescheduled planned maintenance works. The government has tapped the production potential of medium and small-sized refineries and enforced a full export ban on gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel.
Russia operates approximately 29,000 petrol stations nationwide, with only about 9,000 owned by vertically integrated energy firms, including Rosneft, Gazprom Neft, and Lukoil. The remainder are managed by independent operators, who previously sourced most of their fuel from commodity exchanges and intermediaries.
Novak added that major Russian oil companies have prioritized direct fuel supplies to consumers via their own retail stations and to regions served primarily by independent fuel operators.
Starting in July, Russia will import petroleum products and boost overall supply by ramping up the output of lower-emission-grade fuel products. The zero import duty on petroleum products and fuel additives has also been extended for another year, the deputy prime minister confirmed.