On some routes prices rose even faster: transporting 20 tonnes of cargo from Manzhouli to the Lipetsk region cost 900,000 rubles on July 5 and from 1.15 million rubles on July 7, according to logistics companies cited by Kommersant.
The average price of shipping a truck from Manzhouli to Moscow increased by 50,000–70,000 rubles in the last week and a half, one logistics firm reported. Delivery time from China to Moscow has lengthened from 12–15 days to 20 days.
The main problem, carriers say, is not so much the rise in diesel prices as the increase in travel time. Queues at gas stations and border crossings have reduced trucks' daily mileage from 600–700 kilometers to 500 kilometers, and each day of downtime costs the carrier 13,000–15,000 rubles. Transit time from Zabaikalsk to Moscow has increased by 23% to 10–12 days. About 7,500 trucks pass through that border crossing each week, but a “green corridor” for fuel trucks has now been introduced there — they get priority passage in morning and evening windows, creating two queues: a general one moving slowly and a fuel one.
Some shippers have already begun switching to rail and sea routes, but tariffs have risen there too because of increased demand. Market participants forecast further increases in transport costs at least until the end of summer, as long as fuel problems and limited capacity persist.
The worst situation for freight transport is in annexed Crimea, southern regions of Russia, and Siberia, carriers note. In Crimea, delivery costs have risen 3–6 times, to 1.2 million rubles. The fuel crisis, besides raising freight costs, has pushed up prices for public transport, taxis, and air travel. According to economists surveyed by The Insider, a further consequence will be accelerating inflation in almost all sectors of the economy.
The fuel crisis in Russia has lasted several weeks. It was triggered by intensified Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries. Many regions have imposed limits on the amount of fuel that can be purchased at one time. According to Rosstat, consumer gasoline prices rose 6.88% in June 2026 compared with the previous month, and nearly 20% compared with June 2025. Reuters estimates that gasoline production in Russia after the refinery attacks fell to 65% of average seasonal consumption.