Russia will keep its gasoline export ban in place until the end of the year, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Thursday, as domestic shortages worsen following Ukrainian drone strikes on oil infrastructure.
“We will extend the ban on gasoline exports until the end of the year, and a ban on diesel fuel exports by non-producers will also be introduced until the end of the year,” Novak told Russian state media Tass.
Novak said the measure will help ease the domestic fuel shortfall. He added that the gasoline export ban will not affect deliveries under government agreements.
Drone attacks on refineries have cut Russia’s refining capacity by up to a fifth on some days, forcing shutdowns and driving prices higher, according to Reuters.
On Thursday, wholesale AI-92 gasoline reached a record 79,788 rubles ($952) per ton.
The export ban is the Kremlin’s latest effort to address fuel shortages. Moscow initially restricted some gasoline exports in March and expanded the ban to include all major producers in July.
The shortages are the result of relentless Ukrainian strikes targeting Russia’s oil infrastructure. Just this week, Ukraine carried out drone strikes on the Russian Black Sea oil ports of Novorossiysk, a key hub for oil and grain exports, and Tuapse, another major oil export port on Russia’s Black Sea coast.
