Russia Imports Japanese Jet Fuel to Combat Domestic Crisis

The Federal Government of Russia is importing at least 200,000 barrels of Japanese-produced aviation kerosene to mitigate a domestic fuel crisis. The shipment is scheduled to depart Chiba, Japan, in the first half of July and will undergo a ship-to-ship transfer near Yeosu, South Korea, before reaching an undisclosed destination. This is the first such delivery since February 2022.

The shortage stems from a decline in domestic refining capacity caused by unscheduled repairs and Ukrainian drone strikes on oil infrastructure. Vladimir Putin confirmed that some gas stations lacked required gasoline grades, while Dmitry Peskov acknowledged that negotiations for foreign fuel purchases had occurred. To further address the deficit, Russia is importing gasoline from India, Kazakhstan, and Belarus, with Alexander Novak stating that monthly imports from Belarus range between 100,000 and 150,000 metric tons.

In response to these imports, Ukrainian sanctions envoy Vladyslav Vlasiuk stated that Kyiv has discussed potential European Union sanctions against countries that continue to export gasoline to Russia.