Russia Faces New Wave of Fuel Shortages
2 sources across 2 countries · Latvia · United Kingdom
Who reported this
- Novaya Gazeta Europe
- Reuters
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
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Russia is experiencing a second wave of fuel shortages at petrol stations. In at least 18 regions, long queues have been reported at gas stations since the beginning of August. This new instability follows a period of partial stabilization in late July when some regions, including Moscow and Saint Petersburg, lifted fuel sale restrictions.
Several factors are contributing to the current crisis. Planned maintenance at major Russian refineries and the Novopolotsk refinery in Belarus are expected to reduce fuel supplies in September. Imports from Belarus, which previously compensated for lower Russian production, have dropped sharply. Between July 20 and August 12, Belarusian gasoline sales fell to 21,000 tons from 165,000 tons in the preceding period. To mitigate these losses, Russia has begun importing fuel from India, with an initial 60,000 tons delivered in early August.
Additional pressure on the market stems from Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian refineries, including the TAIF-NK plant in Nizhnekamsk. In response to the ongoing volatility, the Russian government has extended a full ban on fuel exports until January 2027.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- The reporting emphasizes the systemic causes of the crisis, specifically highlighting the impact of Ukrainian drone strikes and the failure of import compensations.
- Centre
- The reporting focuses on the factual occurrence of the shortages across the country.
Sources
100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.