The Russian government will extend its ban on gasoline exports until the end of the year, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak announced on Saturday. The measure applies to both producers and non-producers, he told reporters after a meeting of the operational headquarters. Novak added that the parallel ban on diesel exports will be removed “as the market recovers,” a step designed to prevent refineries from facing a glut of product and a drop in processing volumes.

Several Russian media outlets, however, reported that the gasoline export ban would be prolonged until the end of 2026, citing the same remarks by Novak. The discrepancy could not be immediately resolved from the available statements. The initial export ban, introduced in early April and later extended, had been due to expire on 31 July.

The fuel crisis that prompted the restrictions began in June, according to Russian officials and state media, after Ukrainian drone attacks damaged oil refineries and other energy infrastructure. The resulting supply disruptions and logistical bottlenecks led to fuel shortages and queues at filling stations across most Russian regions, including annexed Crimea and occupied territories. In response, the government also banned exports of aviation kerosene and diesel fuel, while Novak said Russia had begun importing fuel and increasing output of lower-grade petroleum products to stabilise the domestic market.

Signs of stabilisation have since emerged. State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin reported on 23 July that fuel deliveries to agricultural producers had begun and that restrictions were being gradually eased. Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev noted the following day that the situation was improving in several regions, including Zabaikalsky Krai, Kaliningrad, Irkutsk, Arkhangelsk, Saratov, Krasnodar Krai and Tatarstan. The diesel export ban will be lifted incrementally as the market normalises, Novak said, while the gasoline ban remains in force for the rest of the year.