Vladimir Putin held a meeting on securing the domestic fuel market, attended by deputy prime ministers, ministers, and heads of major energy companies including Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller, the Kremlin press service reported. According to the outlet Agentstvo, this was the president's first public working event on a Sunday since December 21.

Putin acknowledged that problems persist for motorists and businesses. "There are queues, unfortunately, at gas stations too. And you can't always find the right grade of gasoline right now," he said. At the same time, he said gasoline reserves stand at 1.7 million tons — only 4% less than a year earlier, meaning they "practically correspond to the level for the same period last year."

The president said large oil refineries are operating at maximum capacity, medium and small enterprises have been brought in, and the duration of scheduled maintenance has been reduced. According to Energy Ministry forecasts, production of major fuel types should exceed June levels as early as July, Putin added. Citing a Bloomberg source, The Bell reported that in the first half of June, Russia produced an average of 835,000 barrels of gasoline per day — 15% less than a year earlier.

Journalists from the cooperative Bereg documented fuel shortages in Moscow: some gas stations are closed, others have long lines, and not all grades of gasoline are available everywhere. The Bell notes that a similar situation has emerged in many regions, and in Crimea and Sevastopol, free retail fuel sales to the public were suspended. The shortages have begun disrupting public transport, Agentstvo reports.

Authorities have already banned exports of gasoline and aviation kerosene and are considering a full ban on diesel fuel exports, Putin said. However, he warned of a possible risk of oversupply if such a step is taken. Sources cite Ukrainian drone strikes on oil infrastructure as the main cause of the crisis. "Everything is working stably and with a large margin of safety," Putin told Vesti correspondent Pavel Zarubin, calling the shortage "not critical."