What happens to gasoline in St. Petersburg? And what will happen next? We answer questions about the fuel crisis

Gas stations are limiting the sale of gasoline, and some gas stations are closing. Advertisements for selling fuel by hand appeared on the Internet, and the Max messenger began blocking chats in which people were looking for it.

The fuel crisis, which began after Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian refineries, continues to grow. The authorities of St. Petersburg either explain what is happening as a cartel conspiracy, or try not to speak out about the situation at all.

"Paper" answers the main questions about the gasoline shortage.

Why did everything become bad with gasoline?

Due to attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Russian oil infrastructure. Last month, drones struck 16 Russian oil refineries, and this month they hit six more. Almost all large refineries in the central part of the country have stopped or reduced production . They account for about a quarter of refining capacity.

The shocks caused Russia's oil refining output to fall to its lowest level since 2005. During the week from June 15 to 21, gasoline production in Russia fell by about 25% compared to the daily average in June 2025 and is now 20% below the level of domestic consumption.

Where were restrictions on fuel sales officially introduced?

The first to restrict the sale of gasoline were Crimea and Sevastopol. Since May 31, on the peninsula, AI-95 was sold only with coupons, AI-92 - no more than 20 liters per car. Since June 21, gas stations in Crimea have completely stopped dispensing fuel.

By June 25, the restrictions were officially recognized by the authorities of 23 regions , including the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug, where up to 40% of Russian oil is produced. The Insider recorded official and unofficial restrictions on the sale of fuel in 83 regions, including annexed ones.

What's in St. Petersburg?

In May, the Kirishi refinery stopped producing fuel after UAV attacks and by June 26, according to Bumaga , had not resumed operations. The head of a large oil depot near St. Petersburg told Fontanka in early June that fuel was being transported to the city in sufficient quantities, but due to damage to the refinery, the logistics leg had lengthened, which reduced the availability of petroleum products for consumers: “If previously gasoline was transported from Kirishi, and it was fast, now we have to transport, relatively speaking, from Perm.” At the same time, he called the situation with AI-95 the most difficult - its production decreased due to the blow to the plant in Kirishi the most.

Fuel sales in St. Petersburg began to be limited in early June - then Lukoil set a limit of 100 liters per check, Rosneft - 99 liters, and Surgutneftegaz - 50 liters. Some small gas stations ran out of fuel then.

After the attack on the Nizhnekamsk refinery, a limit was introduced on the Tatneft gas station network in St. Petersburg - up to 20 liters of gasoline and up to 40 liters of diesel per person. The network's gas stations were switched to prepayment mode; it was also reported that at some Tatneft gas stations payment was only available in cash. The company lifted restrictions on AI-92 at the federal level on June 17, while the 30-liter limit on AI-95 is still in effect.

By June 23, the restrictions were tightened - at most Lukoil, Gazprom, and Teboil gas stations they sold no more than 30 liters of gasoline and 60 liters of diesel fuel. Lukoil stated that the restrictions were introduced “due to unscheduled repairs at oil refineries and the current logistics situation,” while fuel at Lukoil gas stations is also not allowed to be poured into two receipts. On Thursday, St. Petersburg residents noticed that some Lukoil gas stations in the north of the city and in the Nevsky district are generally closed: “fuel trucks are not coping well with demand,” they told Rotunda in Lukoil.

It has become even more difficult to stock up on gasoline for future use: it is prohibited to take gasoline in cans at Lukoil and Gazpromneft gas stations. The most stable situation is at Rosneft gas stations, where they still fill up to 100 liters.

This week it was reported that there was no AI-95 gasoline at two Surgutneftegaz gas stations in St. Petersburg, and at two Tatneft gas stations on Thursday there was no gasoline of any kind. On Friday, motorists talked about the lack of gasoline at Tatneft gas stations in Sertolovo, and St. Petersburg residents did not find AI-95 at any Surgutneftegaz gas station in the city and region. The most difficult situation is in Kirishi - on Wednesday it was reported that there was no AI-92 and AI-95 gasoline left in the entire city; before that, queues lined up at the only local gas station where fuel remained for four days in a row .

What about the prices?

According to Rosstat, consumer prices for gasoline from June 16 to June 22 increased by 3% compared to the previous week. This is the strongest weekly jump in at least twenty years. Over the previous two weeks of June, the cost increased by 2%, and in total over three weeks, gasoline prices rose by 5% - more than in January-May of this year combined .

The average price of gasoline increased especially strongly in Dagestan - by 16.5% - and in Chechnya - by 15.2%. In St. Petersburg, fuel prices increased by 0.2%, in Moscow by 1.9%. The highest gasoline prices were recorded in annexed Sevastopol - 90.85 rubles per liter, Tyva - 90.63 rubles, and Dagestan - 87 rubles.

What do the authorities say?

On June 17, Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg Alexander Belsky called the cause of the gasoline shortage in the city a cartel conspiracy, which, according to him, was revealed by the FAS. Two days later, he called the news about restrictions on the sale of gasoline a hoax: “[We have to talk about this] because there are stuff. What is happening in the zone of a special military operation is a confrontation at the physical level. And there is also a virtual one.” Governor Beglov did not comment on the situation.

The St. Petersburg Energy Committee stated on June 13 that there are no prerequisites for a fuel shortage in the city, and there is sufficient quantity in warehouses. Three days later, the committee called the situation with gasoline “stable,” and the 100-liter limits that were introduced at gas stations at the beginning of the month were “aimed at preventing abuse.”

Governor of the Leningrad region Alexander Drozdenko said on June 9 that there is no fuel shortage in the region, and its supplies are on schedule. He acknowledged “spot difficulties” in places with a high concentration of heavy transport (primarily near the port of Ust-Luga), as well as at small gas stations that are sensitive to “jumps in the stock market.”

For the first time at the federal level, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak acknowledged the decline in oil production: at SPIEF in early June, he explained the problem with “ unscheduled repairs” of refineries and promised that after the refineries return to planned mode, production will return to the levels at the beginning of the year.

By the end of the month, the government began to discuss the problem of gasoline shortages for consumers: Novak instructed the relevant departments to prepare an action plan to maintain the sustainability of the fuel market. The next day, the crisis was discussed at a meeting with Putin - Novak called the situation with gasoline “really difficult, but controllable.” The Russian President himself said that the fuel crisis “is not able to influence the events taking place at the front.”

What is being done?

In mid-June, Kommersant reported , the authorities extended permission to supply the domestic market with lower-quality fuel that deviates from the technical regulations of the EAEU - such a resolution was first adopted last fall. At a meeting with Putin, Novak reported that in order to overcome the crisis , the government introduced a complete ban on the export of gasoline and jet fuel, increased the capacity of Russian refineries and reduced the time required for their repairs.

The authorities are trying to cope with the crisis by importing fuel: in the first five months of this year, gasoline supplies from Belarusian refineries by rail increased almost 13 times. Reuters reported that Russian authorities are asking Kazakhstan to sell 50,000 tons of AI-92 gasoline, and also want to buy fuel from Asian countries, which will be delivered to the country by sea vessels. According to RBC, the authorities are preparing to begin large-scale imports of gasoline from India.

Among other measures, a ban on the export of diesel is being considered, an extension of the zero import duty on fuel, as well as a reduction in the standard for gasoline sales on the stock exchange from 15% to 10% - the freed volumes of gasoline that will not go on sale are planned to be used to support agricultural producers and socially important consumers.

What are the forecasts?

Economist Andrei Barhota believes that the shortage is partly man-made, because people buy gasoline for future use, and some for resale. He calls the number one task for the state the preservation of fuel for the harvesting campaign and industry. He believes that the authorities will launch dual price regulation: strict regulation for strategically important consumers so that fuel remains affordable for them, and weakening of regulation, followed by a noticeable increase in prices, for ordinary car owners.

Economic commentator Kirill Rodionov believes that supplies from Belarus and Kazakhstan will not be enough to alleviate the risks of shortages. China and India can sell enough fuel to Russia, but exporting gasoline from non-CIS countries will likely cost about 100,000 rubles per ton, versus about 65,000 rubles for fuel from Russian producers.

Economist Oleg Komolov believes that overcoming the domestic fuel production crisis will be difficult due to Russia’s dependence on imported supplies for refineries, without which it will be difficult to fully restore the operations of the plants.

Cover photo: EPA

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