MOSCOW (Realist English). On 14 August, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak held a meeting on the domestic fuel market situation, following which he instructed relevant agencies and oil companies to take additional measures to ensure fuel supplies to regions where the situation remains tense.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the Energy Ministry, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry for the Development of the Far East, the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS), regional heads and top managers of oil companies. Special attention was paid to ten regions with the most difficult situations.
List of vulnerable regions
| Region | Situation Highlights |
| Orenburg Region | Fuel sale restrictions previously imposed per person |
| Lipetsk Region | Tense situation with fuel supplies at filling stations |
| Tver Region | Tense situation with fuel supplies at filling stations |
| Oryol Region | Tense situation with fuel supplies at filling stations |
| Republic of Tyva | Tense situation with fuel supplies at filling stations |
| Republic of Khakassia | Tense situation with fuel supplies at filling stations |
| Krasnodar Krai | Fuel sale restrictions imposed in Sochi; recommendations to avoid private car use |
| Zabaykalsky Krai | Tense situation with fuel supplies at filling stations |
| Primorsky Krai | Tense situation with fuel supplies at filling stations |
| Krasnoyarsk Krai | Tense situation with fuel supplies at filling stations |
What agencies and companies were tasked with
Novak instructed the relevant agencies and oil companies to take additional measures to ensure fuel supplies to regions with tense situations. Major oil companies are already taking steps to increase deliveries to the most vulnerable regions.
Additionally, the following are to be kept under control:
- fuel prices for agricultural producers;
- retail prices at filling stations.
The FAS reported on the results of its analysis of fuel prices in the regions: cases of price gouging have already been opened by the agency.
Situation in agriculture and the northern delivery
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, agricultural enterprises are sufficiently supplied with fuel, and the harvest campaign is proceeding normally.
Fuel deliveries to remote regions under the northern delivery programme are continuing according to the approved schedule, representatives of the Ministry for the Development of the Far East and oil companies reported.
Systematic work to stabilise the market
The fuel supply situation in the regions has remained a focus of government attention in recent months.
Earlier, on 2 July 2026, Novak had already instructed the development of specific measures to stabilise the fuel situation in the most vulnerable regions – primarily those without a presence of vertically integrated oil companies.
In early August, the government allowed fuel carriers to disregard weight and size restrictions until the end of 2026.
In addition, the Cabinet clarified the procedure for meeting exchange trading standards, allowing confirmed targeted fuel deliveries to socially significant categories of consumers – a measure that will remain in effect until the end of 2026.
Analysis of the current situation
The government is demonstrating a systematic approach to addressing the fuel supply problem in vulnerable regions. A mechanism for targeted deliveries to socially significant consumer categories has been established, price oversight has been strengthened, and the FAS is actively responding to violations.
However, continued restrictions at filling stations in Orenburg Region and Sochi indicate that the problem is not episodic but systemic in nature. As experts note, tension in the fuel market persists. The key question is whether the additional measures and enhanced oversight will prevent a further deterioration of the situation during the peak harvest campaign and summer tourist season.
