On March 1, 2024, russia introduced a six-month ban on gasoline exports to stabilize prices in the domestic market amid rising demand. russian Government Resolution number 243 of February 29, 2024, restores the export embargo that had originally applied from September 21, 2023, to November 17, 2023, the UK Defense Intelligence reports.
It is likely that russia's refining capacity has been temporarily reduced by multiple Ukrainian uncrewed aerial vehicle strikes against refineries across russia. The export ban will relieve pressure on supplies and enable russia to make repairs to its refineries. Repairs are likely to take longer than normal as Western sanctions have prevented the import of some necessary components.
Read more: Ukrainian Drones Target Two russian Oil Refineries in Overnight Attacks
The russian Government will be particularly sensitive to rising prices for gasoline and other daily commodities in the run-up to the 15-17 March russian presidential election.
Read more: Assessing the Potential Consequences of Ongoing Ukrainian Strikes Deep Inside russian Territory
