Russia is the world’s second-largest crude oil exporter and third-largest exporter of refined petroleum products, making the prospect of gasoline imports politically and economically surprising.
Russian President Vladimir Putin over the weekend publicly acknowledged that Russia faces a fuel shortage, saying national gasoline reserves have fallen to 1.7 million metric tons — around 4 percent lower than a year ago.
Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak has described imports as one of the government’s key tools for stabilizing the market, while Russian lawmakers last week approved tax changes creating subsidies to help finance gasoline purchases from abroad.
The supply squeeze has already prompted fuel rationing in several Russian regions and in occupied Crimea.