The Russian government has issued a decree permitting gas stations to sell gasoline and diesel fuel of environmental classes Euro-2, Euro-3 and Euro-4. The permission is valid from September 1 until June 30, 2027, the Energy Ministry reported.
The ministry described the decision as a "temporary measure" to stabilize the fuel market. The decree will allow "increasing the stability of supplies and reducing risks of shortages of certain types of fuel," the Energy Ministry said. Gas stations, it noted, must provide consumers with full information about the environmental class of the fuel sold, so that "citizens can independently decide on fuel choice based on its characteristics."
Since early August, the government has already allowed oil refineries to import and supply low-environmental-class fuel under domestic contracts, but sales of such grades at gas stations were restricted. The Energy Ministry explained that now lower-grade fuel "will be able to reach retail on uniform market conditions."
Euro-2 and Euro-3 gasoline and diesel contain elevated levels of sulfur and harmful impurities, which is dangerous for the environment and modern vehicles. As auto expert Alexei Mochalov explained to The Insider, one fill-up with such fuel can damage a car's equipment to the tune of thousands of dollars.
The fuel crisis in Russia has lasted since late May. In late July, it was reported that Ukraine had managed to knock out about a third of Russia's actual refinery capacity, and in late August it became known that oil refining had fallen to a 20-year low.