Igor Ananskikh, first deputy head of the State Duma committee on energy, said the active phase of Russia's fuel crisis will end "well before September 1," calling it "a matter of literally a few weeks." On June 30, Ananskikh had said the situation should improve "within a few days" without giving a specific date.
Ananskikh argued that the government has "done quite a lot to stabilize the market" and noted that several refineries have been allowed to resume production of Euro-3 standard fuel, which had previously been phased out. He cited scheduled refinery maintenance and Ukrainian drone strikes on some plants as causes of the crisis.
Due to drone attacks, refineries have reduced or completely halted production, forcing Russia to increase fuel imports. In June, imports of Belarusian gasoline reached a historic high: 141,000 tonnes were brought in from June 1 to 25 — 2.4 times more than in all of May. For comparison, in June last year, supplies totaled about 1,000 tonnes. Russia has also begun seaborne gasoline deliveries from India — at least 60,000 tonnes on two tankers.
However, imports have not fully covered the deficit. Russia's daily gasoline consumption in summer is at least 110,000 tonnes, while Belarus can export 150,000–170,000 tonnes per month. Prices for Belarusian gasoline on the St. Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange have risen 1.8 times since May.
At the federal level, authorities are also trying to stabilize the market by easing fuel standards: the government has allowed the production of Euro-3 gasoline and diesel with higher sulfur content until the end of the year. President Vladimir Putin signed a law intended to stimulate domestic market supplies and support refineries.
Meanwhile, restrictions on fuel sales have been introduced nationwide. The Insider calculated that by the end of June, they were in effect in at least 88 of Russia's 89 controlled regions. Some regions declared a state of heightened readiness; others limited the volume of fuel per driver. Regional authorities have offered varying explanations for the disruptions: panic demand, logistics problems, seasonal consumption spikes, and refinery maintenance. Governors of the Irkutsk and Kemerovo regions publicly linked the restrictions to Ukrainian drone strikes.
In the Nizhny Novgorod region, Governor Gleb Nikitin acknowledged an "acute shortage" of fuel: over three days, supplies of AI-92 and AI-95 gasoline at gas stations fell by 25%, while demand rose by 60–70%. Authorities are preparing an interactive map showing fuel availability at stations. In Transbaikalia, gasoline began running out at several stations in Chita, and some stopped sales altogether. Residents of the region are being advised in chat groups to refuel their cars in Chinese Manzhouli, where prices reach 97 rubles per liter for AI-95. The limit on fuel sales to individuals in the region has been tightened to 15 liters per vehicle.
According to Rosstat, Russia's state statistics service, gasoline prices rose 3% in the week from June 15 to 21, and diesel prices rose 2.7%. Economist Sergei Aleksashenko, speaking on the program "Guns or Butter," called such a pace "a hell of a lot": if prices continue rising 3% per week, they will increase more than 4.5 times over a year.
Aleksashenko and fellow economist Yevgenia Mereminskaya also noted that beyond attacks on refineries, the crisis is being worsened by the actions of authorities and oil companies. For example, a Tatneft refinery was taken offline for preventive maintenance ahead of schedule, hitting production of high-octane gasoline. Private fuel consumption has risen 20–30% amid panic driven in part by officials' statements.
Meanwhile, the Financial Times reports that Ukraine has sharply intensified attacks on Russian energy infrastructure in an attempt to push Moscow toward negotiations. In May alone, according to analysts' calculations, Kyiv carried out 16 successful strikes on refineries — a monthly record since the war began. Since the start of the year, Russian refineries have been attacked at least 194 times, 11 times more than in the same period last year. However, the Kremlin, as FT writes, is not showing readiness for real negotiations and still expects major concessions from Ukraine on the part of the United States.