Shortage and refueling by QR codes. What is happening with gasoline in Russia and what drivers should prepare for by the end of summer

Alexey Belogoryev, Research and Development Director of the Institute for Energy and Finance, commented to Lenta.ru on the causes and prospects of the fuel crisis in Russia.

“There is no physical shortage of motor fuel in the country. There are local problems in Crimea, Sevastopol and the border regions caused by the shelling of fuel trucks and the increasing complexity of logistics. We are talking about the difficulties with delivery, and not about the shortage of petroleum products in the country as such,” Alexey Belogoryev said.

According to the analyst, sales at gas stations are most often limited not because of the physical lack of fuel, but simply because tankers do not want to work at a loss "in an unfavorable market environment."

“What is happening in the fuel market this summer is a combination of chronic systemic problems and a sharp increase in emergency shutdowns of processing facilities. In recent months, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been trying to attack factories supplying the largest agglomerations...> The nature of the attacks has changed: now technologically sophisticated recycling facilities are becoming targets,” the expert added.

Belogoryev calls the shortage of railway capacity the second factor. It is economically unprofitable to build product pipelines inside Russia due to the low density of consumption, therefore, fuel from refineries to regional bases is delivered by tankers by rail.

But in the summer, during the holidays, there is literally not enough capacity, the expert notes.

Due to the crisis in the Persian Gulf, world oil prices have increased, which has made oil sales abroad super profitable. Another feature of the current situation is the noticeable price gap between large gas station chains and independent gas stations.