Kyrgyzstan bans gasoline and diesel sales as Russian fuel supplies tighten

Kyrgyzstan bans gasoline and diesel sales as Russian fuel supplies tighten
Kyrgystan imports the vast majority of its fuel from Russia. Petrol pump nozzles are pictured at a Gazpromneft petrol station in Moscow, Russia, 11 March, 2016.
Reuters

Kyrgyzstan's government has banned the sale of gasoline and diesel fuel indefinitely. The Central Asian country imports more than 90 per cent of its fuel from Russia, which has faced supply issues due to Ukrainian attacks on oil refineries.

Kyrgyzstan's Cabinet of Ministers said the embargo would remain in force until the country's domestic market was fully supplied. Earlier in July, the nation's Deputy Minister of Energy, Nasipbek Kerimov, told local media that fuel supply levels from Moscow had "decreased slightly".

Smoke rises from an oil refinery following a Ukrainian drone attack, in Moscow, Russia, 18 June, 2026.
Reuters

According to sources consulted by Reuters, jet fuel exports by rail to Central Asia slumped by more than 92 per cent between May and June to just 3,800 metric tonnes, while gasoline supplies fell by 34 per cent to 99,300 tonnes.

Russian fuel shortages

Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure, including oil refineries, in an attempt to undermine Moscow's war effort. A decline in oil refining has resulted in fuel shortages across Russia, with long queues forming at filling stations while gasoline and diesel prices have risen.

Russia introduced a ban on exports of gasoline, jet fuel and diesel at the beginning of April but exempted supplies agreed under intergovernmental deals.

Moscow has an agreement with Bishkek, signed in 2016, to supply the country with just under two million tonnes of fuel. Deputy Energy Minister Nasipbek Kerimov confirmed that Russia continued to supply Kyrgyzstan with fuel and lubricants.

Export restrictions

The fuel export restrictions introduced by Kyrgyzstan do not apply to motorists crossing the border with fuel in their tanks. An exception also applies to the processing of naphtha, fuel oil and heating oil abroad.

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