Putin Acknowledges Fuel Shortage as Russia Considers Banning Diesel Exports
Russian President Vladimir Putin, alongside Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, attends a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China May 20, 2026. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/Pool
Russian leader Vladimir Putin has acknowledged fuel shortages at gas stations across Russia, signaling mounting pressure on the country’s energy market. As authorities draw on fuel reserves to ease the crisis, the Kremlin is also considering a complete ban on diesel exports to stabilize domestic supplies.
This is reported by Russian media.
During a meeting on fuel supply to the domestic market, Vladimir Putin announced that a special headquarters has been created in Russia to monitor the fuel supply situation.
“There are queues at gas stations, and the necessary brands of gasoline are not always available,” Putin said.
According to him, Russia has already begun drawing on its fuel reserves. At the same time, he claims that gasoline reserves of 1.7 million tons remain unchanged from last year.
Putin also said that Russia is considering a complete ban on diesel exports. He also expressed hope that fuel production will exceed June levels in July.
Separately, the Russian dictator again accused Ukraine of attacks on Russian infrastructure.
“We need to minimize the consequences of terrorist attacks on our peaceful civilian objects,” Putin said.
According to him, among the measures to stabilize the situation, the Russian authorities are considering increasing fuel supplies and ensuring “economically reasonable prices.”
The day before, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin said that Russia supposedly controls the situation on the front and does not abandon its strategic goals in the war against Ukraine. He also spoke about the upcoming elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation, calling them a test of the political system.
As previously reported, Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries are increasingly hitting the Russian fuel industry. Gasoline production has declined significantly, and fuel problems are already affecting regions located thousands of kilometers from Ukraine.
By the way, Russia has asked Kazakhstan to supply about 50,000 tons of AI-92 gasoline amid growing fuel shortages on the domestic market.
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