Russia will begin importing motor fuel by sea this month due to a severe gasoline shortage on its domestic market. The fuel problems emerged after large-scale Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries, according to Reuters.
According to industry sources, a tanker carrying gasoline is expected to arrive in June at one of Russia’s western ports. This is an extremely rare move for a country that normally exports large volumes of petroleum products.
One source said the fuel is planned to be delivered from Asia. Moscow had previously imported gasoline from Belarus and sought assistance from Kazakhstan. However, neither country currently has enough spare capacity to offset the scale of Russia’s crisis.
Authorities have already officially confirmed fuel shortages in occupied Crimea and two regions in Siberia, while more than ten Russian regions have reported similar problems.
