The Russian government may allow, for one year until July 2027, the production and circulation of gasoline and diesel fuel with environmental characteristics as low as the Euro-2 standard. This was reported by Kommersant, which said it had reviewed a draft government resolution.
According to the document, the measure would cover not only domestic production but also possible imports of gasoline with the same characteristics. The publication says such fuel would not be subject to compliance requirements under EAEU technical regulations. Sales of Euro-2 fuel have been banned in Russia since 2013.
Dmitry Prokofyev, communications director at NEFT Research, said the main difference between fuels of different standards lies in sulfur content requirements and production complexity. In his words, Euro-2 makes it possible to use naphtha without deep refining, involve facilities that cannot produce higher-quality fuel, and simplify the production process overall.
He said this could add hundreds of thousands of tons of gasoline per month to the market. At the same time, in his assessment, the measure is unlikely to fully offset the fuel volumes lost because of attacks on oil refineries. He also warned that using Euro-2 fuel may be unsafe for a large share of modern cars.
The planned decision is linked to the ongoing fuel crisis in Russia. According to the report, the situation worsened significantly in May after Ukrainian drones struck oil industry facilities in Russian regions.
This is the second attempt by the authorities to ease shortages by lowering fuel standards. In the autumn of 2025, the government had already allowed some refineries to produce Euro-3 gasoline and diesel for the domestic market. A Kommersant industry source said that relaxation of requirements was likely not sufficient.