A diesel shortage has emerged in St. Petersburg after the urgent export of Russian fuel to the United States
Kyiv • UNN
Diesel is available at fewer than 40% of St. Petersburg gas stations, compared with 70% at the end of October. Drivers are waiting in queues, and sales have been restricted.
The number of gas stations in St. Petersburg where diesel fuel can be purchased has sharply declined. The shortage arose amid the urgent export of Russian fuel to the United States as part of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin's agreements, The Moscow Times reports, writes UNN.
Details
According to data from the "GdeBenz" service analyzed by economist Janis Kluge, diesel is currently available at fewer than 40% of the city's gas stations. At the end of October, the figure was around 70%.
In Leningrad Oblast, private gas stations have limited diesel sales to 30–50 liters per vehicle. In St. Petersburg, drivers are forced to wait in lines for up to 40 minutes.
Why the fuel shortage arose
Kluge suggests that the cause was logistical problems resulting from the hasty shipment of Russian diesel to the United States through the Baltic port of Primorsk.
Under the agreements between Washington and Moscow, more than 2 million tonnes of Russian fuel is to enter the American and global markets.
Problems with diesel were also recorded in Sverdlovsk and Tambov oblasts. In particular, fuel was unavailable at 29 of 214 gas stations in Tambov Oblast.