... significantly lower than in diesel production. This explains Rosstat's decision to stop publishing data on gasoline production and the faster price growth of gasoline compared to diesel. Other contributing factors include the seasonal increase in fuel demand and the recovery of the automotive market. According to Avtostat, sales of new passenger cars in Russia rose by 79% in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, reaching 719,300 units—approaching the pre-crisis levels of the first half of 2021 (793,400 units)....

... a sharp spike in wholesale prices. Instead, prices have been gradually rising compared to 2023 levels, excluding the fall crisis period. According to Sergey Tereshkin, CEO of OPEN OIL MARKET, the price increase results from five factors: reduced fuel production, recovery of the automotive market, seasonal demand growth, rising refinery costs, and increased exports following the lifting of restrictions in May. Future Expectations If gas station prices catch up with inflation by summer’s end, government countermeasures ...

... non-producers of petroleum products. The previous temporary export ban on gasoline was introduced in September 2023. Market Reaction to the Lifting and Return of the Embargo In late May, the Ministry of Energy reported that stocks at oil refineries and fuel depots amounted to 2.1 million tons of automotive gasoline and 4 million tons of diesel fuel. The export ban was suspended from May 20, and shortly afterward, the ministry closed the statistics on gasoline production, citing concerns that its disclosure might lead to market manipulation by ...

... caught up with the national average inflation level. At the beginning of June, Anton Rubtsov, the director of the Oil and Gas Complex Department of the Ministry of Energy, reported that the Russian market was fully supplied with gasoline and diesel fuel (DF). As of June 5, the stocks of automotive gasoline at oil refineries and oil bases reached 1.8 million tons, which is 2% higher than the level at the same time last year. This suggests that there should be no cause for concern. What is worrisome, however, is that exchange quotations ...

... and Pskov regions. Manual Control Last year, the Russian government also fought against rising prices. Beginning March 1, an export ban was implemented, which was then lifted from May 20 to June 30 "considering the saturation of the domestic automotive fuel market," and subsequently, permission for gasoline exports was extended for another month—until the end of July. However, in August, the embargo was reinstated until the end of December "to maintain a stable situation in the fuel ...