Russia sets fuel delivery priority order – gas stations rank last

The Russian government has recommended a priority order for fuel deliveries, the Russian business daily Kommersant reported. The decision was made at a meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak.

Deliveries to state customers and municipal needs take the highest priority. Next in line are deliveries under the Northern Delivery program, followed by enterprises fulfilling state defense orders, Russian Railways, the civilian fleet, and agricultural producers. After them come the occupied regions of Ukraine and the Kaliningrad region. At the very bottom of the list are gas stations – both those owned by oil companies and independent ones.

Documents from the meeting showed that the fuel situation in Russia remains difficult, particularly in Siberia and the Far East. Novak said that the measures taken by the government have partially stabilized the fuel market.

Russia's fuel crisis has been ongoing since May, largely driven by an increase in Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries, which forced many facilities to temporarily halt or curtail production. This led to gasoline shortages at filling stations nationwide.

Analysts polled by Kommersant said the market will need time to recover, forecasting that a meaningful increase in fuel production will not be possible until closer to the end of the year.