Russia permits sale of downgraded gasoline as fuel crisis drags on
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has signed a decree authorizing the sale of Euro-3-grade gasoline through the end of 2026.
Under the decree, certain oil refineries may place into circulation gasoline with a sulfur content of up to 150 milligrams per kilogram.
Such fuel will not carry the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) conformity mark and cannot be sold in the union’s other member states.
The decree is intended to “improve fuel supply reliability” in Russia and serves “as a preventive measure against destabilization of the domestic motor fuel market,” the document states.
Russia’s fuel crisis deepened in May amid Ukrainian drone strikes on oil facilities in several regions.
The newspaper Kommersant previously reported that Russian authorities, to address fuel shortages, might lower environmental standards to allow the sale of gasoline and diesel graded as low as Euro-2 grade.
Experts surveyed by the newspaper said that such fuel is simpler to produce but may be unsafe for some modern vehicles.
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