Georgia pivots to Belarus as Russia's fuel bans reshape imports

Georgia's fuel imports from Belarus surged by 3,469% in the first half of 2026 as Russia's export bans disrupted regional supplies, highlighting a rapid shift in the country's fuel market.

Georgia's fuel supply chain is changing rapidly, and the figures illustrate the scale of the shift. New trade data shows imports of petroleum products from Belarus to Georgia surged by 3,469% in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year. That is not a typo – Georgia imported roughly 35 times more fuel from Belarus than it did a year earlier.

It is a striking increase, and it has not happened by accident. Behind it lies a fuel crisis unfolding in neighbouring Russia and a scramble across the region to fill the gap it has left behind.

The numbers explained

The headline figure can seem confusing in isolation, so it is worth looking at the wider picture.

Between January and June 2026, Georgia imported 904,000 tonnes of petroleum products worth US$812 million. Compared with the same period last year:

• The value of imports increased by 34.6%.
• The volume of imports fell by 11.8%.

In simple terms, Georgia imported slightly less fuel overall but paid significantly more for it. The combination of rising costs and falling volumes is one of the clearest signs of a tightening regional fuel market.

Belarus stands out in particular. Georgia imported 52,000 tonnes of petroleum products from Belarus during the first six months of 2026, worth US$51 million.

A year earlier, imports were minimal by comparison, explaining the dramatic 3,469% increase. Belarus has moved from being a marginal supplier to a significant one in a matter of months.

Why is this happening?

The short answer is Russia's domestic fuel crisis.

Throughout 2026, Ukrainian drone strikes have repeatedly targeted Russian oil refineries, reducing the country's refining capacity and contributing to domestic fuel shortages. In response, Moscow has introduced a series of export restrictions, banning petrol exports, restricting jet fuel exports until the end of November and, in July, imposing a full ban on diesel exports.

The measures are intended to keep dwindling fuel supplies within Russia, protecting the domestic market at the expense of countries that normally depend on Russian fuel.

Georgia is one of those countries. With Russian supplies becoming less reliable, importers have sought alternatives, with Belarus and Kazakhstan stepping in to help fill the gap.

There is, however, an important caveat. Belarus is not an independent oil producer. The landlocked country has only limited oil reserves, and its two refineries – Naftan and Mozyr – have long relied overwhelmingly on Russian crude delivered via the Druzhba pipeline and processed under tolling arrangements with Moscow.

Belarus has occasionally attempted to diversify its crude supplies, but those efforts have remained limited. Western sanctions imposed since 2022 have pushed Minsk even closer to Moscow. In practice, Belarus imports predominantly Russian crude, refines it and exports the finished petrol and diesel, with the proceeds shared between Minsk and the Kremlin.

That means much of the fuel reaching Georgia from Belarus is effectively Russian oil that has been refined in Belarus rather than an entirely separate source of supply.

There is another complication. Since Russia's fuel shortages began, Belarusian refineries have increasingly prioritised the Russian market. Gasoline exports from Belarus to Russia increased by around 13-fold, while diesel exports tripled during the first five months of 2026, as Minsk sought to help offset Russia's domestic shortfall.

In other words, Georgia is now relying on the same Belarusian refining capacity that Russia itself increasingly depends upon.

What this means for Georgia

At first glance, this appears to be a straightforward story of supply and demand: one supplier becomes less reliable and buyers turn elsewhere. However, several important questions remain.

Prices: If Belarusian fuel is replacing supplies lost because of Russia's export restrictions, it is reasonable to ask whether this is contributing to higher prices at petrol stations across Georgia.

Reliability: Belarus is not an independent source of fuel. It refines Russian crude and is increasingly directing production towards Russia's own shortages. That makes it a less secure long-term alternative than it may initially appear.

Real diversification: Greater reliance on Belarus does not substantially reduce Georgia's exposure to Russia's energy problems because Belarusian fuel still originates largely from Russian crude. Genuine diversification would require sourcing fuel from suppliers that are not dependent on Russian oil.

Russia's refining difficulties show little sign of easing, with the authorities extending export restrictions and drawing down reserves to stabilise domestic supplies.

That is precisely why increased reliance on Belarus may prove to be only a temporary solution rather than a lasting one. Belarusian fuel depends on the same Russian crude that feeds the refineries repeatedly targeted by Ukraine, and Minsk has already demonstrated that it will prioritise supplying Russia when shortages intensify.

If Russia's fuel crisis deepens, or Belarus diverts even more refined fuel to its neighbour, the alternative supply on which Georgia is increasingly relying could diminish as quickly as it emerged. Rather than signalling a durable shift in the regional fuel market, the surge in imports from Belarus may instead represent a short-term stopgap that lasts only while Minsk has surplus fuel available.

Read more: 

• Uzbekistan, Belarus deepen economic ties with $100 million regional projects
• Anaklia port ambitions meet reality as Georgia looks to Rotterdam
• Iran says more than 30% of imports now arrive via Russia and the Caspian Sea

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News Georgia Belarus Russia fuel imports energy security trade 2026