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Russia increased its railway gasoline exports in the period from January to May by a quarter

Two market sources and calculations show that Russia increased its gasoline exports via railway by about a quarter between January and may, owing to a easing of the fuel embargo.

Russia has banned gasoline exports as of March 2024 in order to balance the excessive demand for petroleum and stabilize prices on the domestic market.

Fuel supplied to members of the Eurasian Economic Union, led by Moscow, was exempted from this rule.

In November, the government lifted an embargo on gasoline supplied by producers. However, it extended restrictions to other exporters such as independent traders or re-sellers.

Drone attacks also hit several Russian refineries, including the NORSI oil refining facility in Nizhny Novgorod owned by Lukoil, a major gasoline producer. This led to a drop in fuel production as well as exports.

Other major gasoline producers are Rosneft and Gazprom's Ryazan Refinery.

Calculations based on sources' data show that the Baltic port Ust-Luga has been the primary destination for Russian gas exports so far in 2025. Between January and May, this figure rose by nearly 85%, or 0.72 million tons.

Data from market sources revealed that in the first five month of 2025, gasoline exports from Russian refining plants to the Baltic Port of Vysotsk nearly doubled from the previous year to 150,000 tons. Fuel supplies to Mongolia, however, fell by 17% to 304,000 tonnes.

Since the EU embargo against imports of Russian oil and products came into effect on February 20, 2023, Russia diverted its gasoline seaborne supply to countries in Africa, Asia, Turkey, and Brazil.

According to market sources, in 2024 Russia will produce approximately 43.1 million tonnes of gasoline. It will export nearly 4.4 millions tons. (Reporting and Editing by Emelia Matarise Sithole)

(source: Reuters)