Russia, traditionally one of the world's largest exporters of oil products, has found itself in a situation where it has had to resort to importing its own fuel. According to sources, a tanker carrying gasoline delivered from Asia is scheduled to arrive at one of the country's western ports as early as June. This unprecedented step has become a forced measure against the backdrop of an acute shortage in the domestic market.
Causes of the Crisis: Strikes on Energy Infrastructure
The root cause of the fuel collapse has been large-scale and regular attacks by Ukrainian drones on Russia's energy infrastructure. Since the beginning of 2026, the number of strikes on oil refineries (ORs) has doubled, leading to the shutdown of key production capacities. Among the affected facilities are the Moscow Oil Refinery and the major TANEKO complex in Tatarstan.
Officially, the fuel shortage has already been confirmed by the authorities of Crimea and two Siberian regions, however, the actual deficit is observed in more than ten regions of the Russian Federation. Moscow's attempts to solve the problem at the expense of its neighbors have not been successful: neither Belarus nor Kazakhstan, to whom help was previously requested, have spare capacity capable of covering the massive gap in supplies.
Export Ban and "Dirty" Fuel
In an attempt to stabilize the situation and preserve stocks during the summer peak of consumption, the Russian government imposed a complete ban on gasoline exports until the end of July. For comparison: last year, the country sold almost 5 million tons of this fuel abroad.
At the same time, the Kremlin has lowered environmental standards. To stop the rapid depletion of reserves, plants have been allowed to produce low-quality fuel with high pollution levels. This decision was made exclusively for the domestic market under force majeure conditions.
Limits for Drivers and Panic Demand
For the population, the situation at gas stations has changed radically. Strict restrictions on fuel purchases have acquired a federal scale. The largest oil company "Tatneft", which controls a significant part of the market, has introduced limits at all its gas stations across the country: drivers of passenger cars are allowed to refuel no more than 30 liters of gasoline at a time.
In addition to quantitative restrictions, the sale of fuel in jerry cans has been completely banned at many stations, and in some regions, payments are possible only in cash. Such measures were taken by networks controlling about 25% of the retail market to curb panic demand and prevent the complete emptying of tanks.