Belarus halts benzene exports after receiving low-quality petroleum from Russia

Belarus has temporarily stopped exporting benzene and diesel to the Baltic states, Poland, and Ukraine because it has received unsatisfactory source petroleum from Russia, said Deputy Director of the Belarusian Oil Company Sergey Grib. He added that exports of dark petroleum products remain at their typical levels.

On April 22, Belarusian companies reported a sudden drop in quality in the oil they received from Russia. One company also reported damage to processing equipment as a result. On the same day, Russia’s Energy Ministry promised that the quality of petroleum products exported from Russia to Belarus would soon improve.