Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service said it is working with digital platforms to prevent speculative fuel resales. According to the agency’s press service, Avito is hiding listings offering gasoline, while Ozon and Wildberries have begun blocking such product cards at the moderation stage.
These measures are being introduced amid reports of fuel shortages in several Russian regions and attempts by local authorities to contain panic buying.
Regional restrictions
In the Saratov region, officials introduced a limit on gasoline sales to private individuals: no more than 30 liters per vehicle. Governor Roman Busargin said the step was taken “to reduce unjustified panic and possible speculation in the fuel market.”
In the Irkutsk region, some gas stations also imposed restrictions on gasoline sales. Governor Igor Kobzev linked the situation to Ukrainian strikes on oil-processing facilities in western Russia.
Vladimir region governor Aleksandr Avdeev urged residents to reduce car travel and buy gasoline only in volumes that are currently necessary.
Residents of the Amur region said gas stations were refusing to sell gasoline into canisters. The regional Housing and Utilities Ministry said the restrictions were intended “to prevent speculation and avoid artificial panic among the population.”
In Kirishi in the Leningrad region, residents complained about an almost complete lack of AI-95 gasoline at local filling stations. The city is home to the KINEF refinery, which has repeatedly come under attack by the Ukrainian armed forces.
Regional authorities say the fuel shortage is tied to a surge in demand. In the Kaluga and Nizhny Novgorod regions, they reported sales rising by 2.5 times, and in Mordovia, by as much as five times.