Russia forced to import gasoline from Kazakhstan amid fuel crisis

Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Kremlin-backed propaganda channels released videos claiming Europe would collapse without Russian gas. However, Russia now finds itself in a fuel crisis and is turning to Kazakhstan for gasoline imports.

According to Arab News, Russia has reached an agreement with Kazakhstan to import 50,000 tons of gasoline in July and August, described as “humanitarian aid.” The Russian government has not disclosed the cost. The fuel, grades AI-95 and AI-92, is expected to come from the Pavlodar and Kondensata refineries. Kazakhstan’s Energy Ministry stated it had not received official requests from Russian companies but noted that the Kondensata refinery may participate as it processes Russian oil from Tatneft.

The fuel shortage worsened after Ukrainian forces intensified airstrikes on Russian refineries. Several regions have imposed fuel sales restrictions, and some gas station chains are completely sold out. In Irkutsk, drivers face queues of up to 18 hours. In late June, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Russia was negotiating fuel imports with several countries.

The situation is particularly ironic given earlier propaganda videos. In autumn 2022, a video titled “Winter will be big” showed Europe covered in ice after shutting off the gas tap—only for journalists to discover it used footage from Krasnoyarsk, a Russian city without natural gas supply. Later, RT released a Christmas animation depicting a European family losing electricity, heat, and eventually eating their hamster, ending with “Merry anti-Russian Christmas.” Propaganda claimed sanctions would force Europe back to the Middle Ages. While Europe did face high energy prices in 2022–2023, the predicted catastrophes—mass freezing or traveling by horse—failed to materialize.