Izvestia: Gas stations are restricting gasoline sales in several regions.

For over a month, reports have been coming in of gasoline supply disruptions at gas stations in a number of regions. These disruptions primarily affect small, independent gas stations in Central Russia, the south, the Volga region, and the Far East. Business FM called the stations to determine whether this is true.

In some Russian regions, gas stations have begun limiting gasoline sales or selling only diesel, Izvestia reports. The publication cites data provided by Pavel Bazhenov, president of the Independent Fuel Union.

According to him, there have been reports of gasoline supply disruptions to gas stations in a number of regions for over a month now. These disruptions primarily affect small independent gas stations in Central Russia, the south, the Volga region, and the Far East.

Experts interviewed by Izvestia cite seasonal demand, scheduled oil refinery maintenance, and a decline in fuel production due to Ukrainian attacks on Russian infrastructure as reasons.

According to Dmitry Gusev, Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Reliable Partner Association, which unites energy producers and suppliers, there are problems, but they are nothing new:

Dmitry Gusev, Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Reliable Partner Association

Izvestia also notes the Moscow, Leningrad, Ryazan, and Nizhny Novgorod regions as problematic regions where some gas stations are imposing restrictions on fuel sales.

Posing as a client, Business FM called several small, independent gas stations and asked if they had gas, whether there had been any restrictions, and whether there were any problems at all:

According to the newspaper, some major chains have also begun to impose restrictions. For example, Lukoil has banned the sale of gasoline in cans at certain Moscow stations and stopped accepting fuel cards at several stations in Nizhny Novgorod.