Fuel prices rise sharply in Crimea: logistics or consequences of Ukrainian army strikes

The price of automobile fuel continues to rise rapidly in the annexed Crimea. Over the past few weeks, gasoline prices have risen significantly, causing concern among both local residents and businesses.

According to Krym.Realii, the so-called head of the Crimean parliament, Vladimir Konstantinov, explains the situation by the complicated logistics of supply.

"Crimea is in a difficult logistical situation, gasoline will not come to us by air," he said, adding that there are only a few ways to deliver fuel, and all of them are now complicated.

At the same time, analysts point to other reasons. In particular, expert Tamara Safonova notes that Ai-95 gasoline has risen in price by 1.5-2 rubles in recent weeks due to a sharp rise in oil prices in Russia itself.

According to her, the cost of oil on the domestic market rose from 22 thousand rubles per ton in February to more than 60 thousand at the end of March, and in early April to 66-74 thousand rubles. This was a key factor behind the rise in fuel prices.

External factors also have an impact on the situation. In particular, on April 1, the Russian government imposed a ban on gasoline exports to keep prices down in the country. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said that the domestic market is supplied with fuel, but admitted that amid the conflict in the Middle East, exports of petroleum products have become more profitable.

Global oil prices have also risen significantly. According to international agencies, Russian Urals oil has risen to its highest price in more than a decade, to more than $110 per barrel.

At the same time, the Russian media hardly mentions another important factor - the strikes of the Ukrainian Defense Forces on the oil refining infrastructure of the Russian Federation. Ukrainian drones regularly attack refineries and ports, which leads to a decrease in production and exports.

In particular:

• large refineries in the Nizhny Novgorod, Saratov and Leningrad regions were shut down after the attacks;
• key oil refineries were damaged;
• the attacks on the ports of Primorsk and Ust-Luga caused a drop in oil exports of up to 43%.

The Ukrainian media are already calling this process "drone sanctions" that affect the fuel market of the Russian Federation and, accordingly, the situation in Crimea.

As a reminder, since the beginning of March, Odesa and the rest of Ukraine have seen a sharp rise in the price of all types of fuel.

Андрій Колісніченко