Photo: Gennady Grachev / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0
MOSCOW, Russia – Rosneft, Russia’s largest oil producer, is limiting how much petrol customers can buy at its filling stations, regional authorities said Monday, as Ukrainian strikes on refineries continue to disrupt fuel supplies. Limits appear to vary by location.
The Economic Development Ministry of Russia’s Zabaykalsky region said Rosneft “is introducing restrictions in all regions of the country (30 liters in the city, 50 on the highway).” The ministry said the limit in Zabaykalsky itself is 50 liters and that selling fuel in canisters is prohibited. Authorities in the republics of Buryatia and Karelia also reported restrictions at Rosneft stations. The figures come from regional officials. Rosneft has not been found to have commented, and no end date has been given. It has not been established that the same cap applies everywhere or to other fuel retailers.
The restrictions come amid renewed Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil refineries, which have disrupted domestic fuel production and supply. Moscow-area stations also limited sales earlier this year during a supply shortage.
Why it matters: purchase caps at the country’s biggest fuel retailer point to strain in domestic gasoline supply, which affects drivers and could raise pressure on prices. Still unknown: how long the limits will last, which regions are covered, and how much refining capacity is offline.
Archival photo: a Rosneft station in Moscow in 2016. It is not a picture of the current restrictions.
JBizNews Desk | Moscow, Russia
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