Russian oil companies have failed to close roughly 60% of exchange contracts for gasoline deliveries signed between May and September, business daily Kommersant reported, citing market data and sources.
Suppliers fulfilled only 41% of contracts concluded during that period. About 20% of deals were disrupted and ended in default or cancellation, while another 39% remain unclosed to this day. For 24% of the unclosed contracts, shipment delays exceed the regulatory 30-day limit.
The bulk of unfulfilled obligations fell on Lukoil and Rosneft — 46% and 28%, respectively. A market source quoted by the newspaper links this to the fact that it is precisely their refineries that have most often been targeted by Ukrainian drone attacks. At Rosneft, half of deliveries are overdue by more than a month.
A Kommersant source explains that companies prioritized state tasks — supplying defense and industrial enterprises, agricultural producers and the municipal sector. Independent gas stations, which mainly buy fuel on the exchange, rank "at one of the last lines" on that list.
In August, Russia saw a second wave of the fuel crisis triggered by Ukrainian drone strikes on refineries. Gasoline prices rose and queues reappeared at filling stations. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said about 10% of oil refining facilities across the country were under repair.