From February 9 to 13, the average wholesale price of AI-92 gasoline in Russia rose by 6.9%, reaching 62,431 rubles per ton. AI-95 gasoline also increased by 5.8%, reaching 63,545 rubles per ton. This growth is the most significant since July of last year.
On the St. Petersburg exchange on Monday, prices for AI-95 reached a two-month high of 63,787 rubles per ton. At the same time, the price for AI-92 slightly decreased by 0.3% to 62,096 rubles per ton.
Traders attribute the increase in gasoline prices in the wholesale segment to new attacks on oil refineries. On Wednesday, following a drone strike, gasoline production was halted at the Volgograd refinery, which can process 13 million tons of oil per year and is one of the largest in the country. On Thursday, another strike led to a fire at the Ukhta refinery.
“After the events in Volgograd and Ukhta, clients began to actively submit requests,” one source told Reuters. Another source indicated that the Volgograd refinery would not be able to supply fuel until March, although the repair timeline remains uncertain. Some sources suggest that shipments may resume as early as next week.
“If, as promised, production resumes, there is a chance that prices will drop again,” noted one trader.
The publication also reminds that last year there were at least 81 attacks by Ukrainian drones on Russian oil refineries. As a result, by early autumn, the industry lost between 10% and 20% of its capacity, leading to record downtime in primary oil processing in the country.
This caused a serious fuel crisis in various regions, including Kamchatka and Central Russia, manifested in long lines at gas stations, fuel shortages, and the implementation of a system for selling gasoline by coupons. By the end of the year, oil supplies to refineries reached a 15-year low, and the damage to oil companies from drone attacks exceeded one trillion rubles.
