Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Wednesday that the situation with supply of fuel on the domestic market is under control on the whole, while some regions are experiencing shortages of the fuel.

Several regions in Russia reported shortages of certain popular types of gasoline, including in the country’s far east, Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, as well as Nizhny Novgorod, east of Moscow.

Ukraine has knocked out chunks of Russia’s refining capacity via drone attacks . Russia is the world’s third-biggest oil producer after the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.

“We are witnessing some problems with supplies across some regions, while the energy ministry and the regions are jointly solving the problems in manual mode,” Novak told reporters.

To ensure supply on the domestic fuel market, the government has introduced diesel exports ban for traders and extended the export restrictions for gasoline until the end of the year.

Novak also said that some oil refineries are being modernised and will be put into operations this and next year, which will ensure fuel supply.

“If supply exceeds demand, we will certainly open up export markets,” Novak said.
Source: Reuters