Consumer gasoline prices in Russia rose 2.3% in the week from July 7 to July 13, while diesel fuel increased 3.2%, according to data from the state statistics service Rosstat. Since the start of the year, gasoline prices have climbed 16.4%.
In seven regions, the average price of 95-octane gasoline exceeded 100 rubles per liter, Rosstat data show, nearly doubling the number of such regions in a week. A liter of AI-95 costs more than 100 rubles in Tuva (117.23 rubles), Kalmykia (111.14 rubles), Dagestan (105 rubles), Kabardino-Balkaria (104.33 rubles) and Chechnya (100.54 rubles). In Crimea, the price surpassed 200 rubles (201.34 rubles), while Sevastopol came close to that level (197.64 rubles). Nationwide, 95-octane gasoline rose by 1.85 rubles over the week, to 78.04 rubles per liter.
Despite pro-Kremlin Telegram channels and outlets reporting a "sharp improvement" in the gasoline situation due to measures taken, regions continue to impose restrictions. The independent outlet Agentstvo noted it found no publications about the cancellation of the odd-even license plate system for gasoline sales previously introduced in seven regions, nor about fuel sales by QR code in Sevastopol. On Wednesday, two more regions introduced new restrictions.
In the Trans-Baikal Territory, authorities began testing fuel sales by QR code, which can only be obtained through the state messenger Max. So far, only one gas station operates under this scheme. Less than an hour and a half after the system launched, available QR codes ran out. In the Kursk region, an odd-even system took effect Wednesday: residents with license plates starting with odd digits can refuel on odd-numbered days of the month, and vice versa. "As soon as the situation stabilizes, everything will definitely return to normal," Governor Alexander Khinshtein explained of the measure.
Police in Saratov refused to cancel fines issued to motorists who parked in lines for gasoline under "no stopping" signs. In Rubtsovsk, Altai Territory, Rosneft gas stations introduced a system selling gasoline based on the first digit of a car's license plate. Stavropol Governor Vladimir Vladimirov ordered officials to coordinate trips outside the city with him to save fuel and urged them to ride bicycles and walk. Leningrad Region Governor Alexander Drozdenko set a fuel limit for officials' cars but did not specify the amount.
Data from the GdeBenz service, analyzed by German economist Janis Kluge, show no significant improvement. Over the past six days, about half of gas stations in Russian cities were closed, according to his calculations. Queues were recorded at roughly half of open stations. Exceptions were Moscow, where most stations operate without queues, and St. Petersburg, where the share of stations without queues increased significantly on the last day of measurement. In Moscow, 86% of stations sold fuel at least once a day, making the capital the region with the most accessible gasoline.