Several Russian regions, hit in recent weeks by fuel shortages due to Ukrainian air strikes, have lifted or eased purchase restrictions, with authorities citing “stabilization” of the situation, reported Agence France-Presse, BTA reported.
For months, Ukraine has been attacking refineries and oil depots in Russia with drones, causing fuel shortages this summer in many Russian regions and in annexed Crimea.
The situation has prompted some regions to impose limits on the amount of fuel sold to a customer, while others have banned the filling of cylinders to prevent hoarding.
These restrictions have been lifted or eased in at least seven regions, including Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as in the south of the country, which is hard hit by the shortage, according to authorities and local media. In the Russian capital and the country's second largest city, oil companies “Lukoil“, “Teboil“ and “Gazprom Neft“ have fully or partially lifted restrictions on fuel purchases at their gas stations, according to the specialized news outlet “InfoTEK“.
Local media also reported easing or complete lifting of restrictions in the southwestern regions of Rostov, Volgograd, Stavropol and Krasnodar, as well as in the Siberian region of Omsk. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, who is responsible for energy, said on Saturday that the situation was stabilizing “gradually“ and that several refineries had resumed operations after the Ukrainian air strikes.
According to him, “the situation at gas stations has improved significantly in terms of fuel supplies, including for agricultural producers“. To deal with the shortage, Russia, one of the world's leading oil producers, has banned the export of gasoline and diesel. Those measures remain in place for now.