Russia slashes fuel quality rules to stave off shortages, Kommersant reports
The eased standards let some refineries sell fuel with higher sulfur content as export bans and station limits try to stabilize supply.
- The Russian government authorized oil refineries to produce gasoline and diesel with higher sulfur content, bypassing Euro-5 standards to alleviate domestic fuel shortages.
- Intensifying Ukrainian drone attacks on refining infrastructure have forced nearly all major refineries in central Russia to suspend or scale back production by late May.
- Gas stations in regions including Moscow and Petersburg began introducing limits on gasoline sales in June, though Sergei Frolov of NEFT Research said additional volumes could only partially ease localized shortages.
- Officials have banned exports of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel, while Alexander Drozdenko of Leningrad said last week that "Supplies are being delivered according to plan, there are no shortages."
- Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak acknowledged earlier this month that Russia's crude oil production is falling, though the nation continues to exempt intergovernmental supplies from export bans.
25 Articles
25 Articles
Russia quietly lets refiners sell lower-grade Euro-3 fuel as drone strikes squeeze supply
Russia is trading fuel quality for quantity. To keep pumps supplied as drone strikes cut into refining, the government is letting some refineries sell dirtier, lower-grade gasoline and diesel on the home market, the business daily Kommersant reported, citing a source. Gasoline can also carry more aromatic hydrocarbons and octane-boosting additives. Fuel sold under the Euro-5 label can now contain up to 150 milligrams of sulfur per kilogram—15 t…
Under the requirements for the relaxation of specifications, gasoline may contain about 15 times the maximum permitted limit in Europe, China and India.
Russia slashes fuel quality rules to stave off shortages, Kommersant reports
Russia is allowing some oil refineries to produce fuel with lower environmental specifications for the domestic market, the Kommersant newspaper reported on Monday, as Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure squeeze supplies.
Twenty-five Russian regions faced petrol shortages.
Russia Eases Environmental Rules for Domestic Fuel amid Shortages
Russia’s government has authorized some refineries to produce gasoline and diesel with higher sulfur content and other lower environmental specifications in a bid to alleviate the ongoing fuel shortages, Russian daily Kommersant reported on Monday. The government has extended the eased rules, which were introduced in the autumn of 2025, according to an unnamed source who spoke to Kommersant. Russia’s authorities are also scrambling to al…
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