A new fuel crisis is brewing in Russia: the shortage of AI-95 gasoline is already exceeding exchange reports and hitting the domestic market. Due to failed government decisions, chronic problems at oil refineries, and the consequences of the war, Russian oil companies are trying to save the situation by reducing the production of popular gasoline. This was reported by the Foreign Intelligence Service, according to UNN.
According to industry analysts, the unmet demand for AI-95 in the Russian Federation has already exceeded 26,000 tons. The reasons include emergency and unscheduled repairs at refineries, a drop in oil refining volumes, and the traditional seasonal spike in demand. Amid the shortage of resources, Russian companies are shifting capacities to the cheaper AI-92, which the Kremlin considers a "socially significant" fuel
Despite official statements from the Russian Ministry of Energy about "stability," exchange prices are rising. AI-95 already costs almost 72,000 rubles per ton, and prices on the over-the-counter market are approximately 10% higher. At the same time, market participants themselves admit: there is a lack of fuel, and supply is limited.
Russian authorities are trying to hide the scale of the problem with typical soothing statements about "sufficient reserves" and "stable logistics." But the reality is different: large refineries are undergoing maintenance for at least a month en masse, which prevents the formation of reserves before the summer season. As a result, the risk of a large-scale gasoline shortage in the summer is only growing.
Russians themselves are already openly talking about the need to convert cars to gas, as gasoline becomes increasingly expensive and less accessible. Against the backdrop of a protracted war and sanctions, the resource "superpower" increasingly resembles a country with chronic shortages of basic goods.
It is telling that in Tatarstan alone, gasoline prices have risen by almost 16% in just one year. AI-92 increased in price by 16.8%, and AI-95 by 15%. This is despite all the Kremlin's statements about a "stable economy" and "energy independence"