The Russian government allowed some refineries to produce gasoline and diesel fuel on the domestic market with deviations from the Euro-5 standard in terms of sulfur content and other indicators.
Kommersant wrote that this decision was made in the fall of 2025; It was supposed to be valid until May 1, 2026, but the period was extended due to fuel shortages.
The publication’s sources confirmed that fuel deviating from the Euro-5 standard is intended for the local market only
At the same time, according to one of the newspaper’s interlocutors, relaxing fuel quality requirements does not completely solve the shortage problem. He explained that even the increased permissible level of sulfur content does not allow a large portion of small refineries to be used, because their products do not even fit these standards.
Additional volumes of petroleum products could partially alleviate local shortages observed in some regions, Sergey Frolov, managing partner of NEFT Research, told Kommersant. However, he warned that high-sulfur fuel could damage modern vehicles.
In addition, the main problem of the market is not only the production of fuel, but also its timely delivery to the regions.
The Ukrainian army regularly attacks Russian oil industry facilities. Due to drone attacks, Reuters wrote at the end of May, almost all major oil refineries in central Russia were forced to suspend or reduce production.
In June, in various regions of Russia, including Moscow and St. Petersburg, gas stations began imposing restrictions on the sale of gasoline.
The worst fuel crisis occurs in the annexed Crimean Peninsula. The supply of gasoline and diesel there is difficult due to Ukrainian drone attacks on the highway connecting the peninsula with the Rostov region.