Russia sets fuel delivery priority order — gas stations rank last

Russia’s government has recommended that fuel deliveries to state customers and municipal needs take priority, the Russian business daily Kommersant reported. The decision was reached at a meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak.

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 Kaliningrad region. At the bottom of the list are gas stations — both those owned by oil companies and independent ones.

Documents from the meeting showed the fuel situation in Russia remains difficult, particularly in Siberia and the Far East. Novak said the measures taken by the government had managed to partially stabilize the fuel market.

Russia’s fuel crisis has been ongoing since May, driven in large part by a surge in Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries that forced many facilities to temporarily halt or curtail production. The result was a gasoline shortage at filling stations across the country.

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.