Russia has begun importing gasoline by tanker from Asia – Reuters
Due to a massive fuel crisis, Russia has been forced to begin importing automotive gasoline by sea from Asia for the first time in a long while. The acute shortage in the aggressor state’s domestic market arose as a result of a series of targeted and highly effective attacks by Ukrainian drones on key facilities of Russia’s oil refining infrastructure.
Industry sources note that as early as June, the first tanker carrying foreign fuel is expected to arrive at one of Russia’s western seaports—an unusual occurrence for a country that has traditionally been one of the world’s largest exporters of petroleum products.
Systematic strikes by the Ukrainian Defense Forces on the Moscow Oil Refinery and the TANECO complex in Tatarstan have halted oil refining, triggering fuel supply disruptions in more than ten Russian regions, as well as in the temporarily occupied Crimea. In an effort to stabilize the situation during the summer peak in consumption, the Russian government imposed a strict ban on the export of its own gasoline through the end of July. However, Moscow’s allies, such as Belarus and Kazakhstan, currently lack the spare capacity to fully cover the shortfall, while maritime imports from Asia are only a temporary and extremely expensive solution due to complex logistics.
Source: Reuters.
Following a sharp rise in fuel prices in the temporarily occupied Crimea, the Moscow-controlled authorities announced the introduction of fixed prices for gasoline and diesel.
In the temporarily occupied Crimea, fuel problems could escalate into a much more serious crisis. Due to logistical difficulties on the peninsula, prices have already begun to rise, lines are forming, and residents are increasingly stocking up on essential goods.
The shortage of automotive fuel, which was previously observed in the temporarily occupied Crimea, has begun to spread to the southern regions of the Russian Federation. Residents of the Krasnodar Krai and the Rostov Oblast are reporting shortages of gasoline and diesel fuel.
