Russia could extend the ban on gasoline exports by the end of February from the current end-date December 31, 2025, state news agency TASS reported on Monday, quoting sources familiar with the discussions in the government.
Currently, Russia has a ban on gasoline exports and a ban on non-producers to export diesel by the end of the year. The ban on gasoline exports is in force for all market participants, including producers and traders, but it does not apply to supplies under bilateral government agreements.
The current ban on diesel exports includes only a ban on non-producers to export the fuel by the end of the year. This partial ban could be lifted from January 2026, according to sources who spoke to Russia’s daily Kommersant on Monday.
The ban on gasoline exports was extended in September as fuel shortages emerged at the end of the summer amid intensified Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian refineries and other energy infrastructure. The drone hits on some of Russia’s biggest refineries slashed refining processing rates by one fifth on certain days in August and September. There wasn’t a run on pump stations in the country, but some popular gasoline grades were not available everywhere.
Russia has not commented on the extent of the damage done by Ukrainian drones, but various reports have said that at least 10 refineries were targeted with drones by Ukraine in August and September, and some of them sustained damages and had to temporarily halt crude intake.
Meanwhile, Russia’s shipments of refined petroleum products inched down by 0.8% in November compared to October as a plunge in exports from the Black Sea ports was offset by a jump in shipments from Baltic Sea terminals, Reuters estimates showed last week.
Ukrainian drone attacks on refineries in southern Russia and the Black Sea oil ports of Tuapse and Novorossiysk crippled exports of fuels from Russia’s Black Sea export terminals last month.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
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