Authorities in Russia’s Far East Zabaikalsky region have appealed to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin for emergency assistance to resolve a fuel shortage that has left gas stations without regular supplies, the Kommersant business newspaper reported Friday.
Governor Alexander Osipov reportedly asked the government to help speed up deliveries from refineries in the neighboring Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk regions after weeks of delays that officials blamed on transport bottlenecks rather than production shortages.
The shortages were first reported last month when at least two independent fuel chains imposed rationing for gasoline and later ran dry at several stations in the regional capital of Chita and the nearby industrial city of Krasnokamensk.
Similar fuel disruptions and price spikes have been reported across multiple Russian regions in recent months.
Between January and late October, retail prices for AI-92 gasoline rose 42% and AI-95 49% before falling by about 10% in early November after a temporary export ban and other government interventions.
Russia’s Energy Ministry has since drafted new measures to stabilize the domestic market, including plans to create a dedicated fuel trading platform for end users and to require oil companies to direct at least 40% of their crude for domestic refining.
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