Russian online marketplaces have stopped posting advertisements for the sale of petrol, the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service announced on 22 June.
The agency states that the new measures are aimed at combating the speculative resale of petrol and diesel amid rising prices and market disruptions.
In particular, the sale of fuel will be banned on the Ozon and Wildberries platforms – attempts to create listings for such goods will be blocked at the moderation stage. The Avito service has already hidden such adverts “pending the finalisation of the rules in this category”.
The FAS has also announced unscheduled inspections of major oil traders and instructed its regional offices to step up monitoring of fuel supplies to agricultural producers.
As a result of frequent, large-scale Ukrainian attacks on oil refineries and fuel infrastructure in Russia and the occupied territories, petrol shortages have begun to emerge. Fuel prices have risen sharply at petrol stations belonging to private chains across the country.
In the occupied Crimea, petrol sales were halted entirely following an attack on a port logistics hub in the Kerch Strait.
Residents of the Belgorod and Ryazan regions, the Krasnodar Krai and many other regions of Russia had previously complained about shortages of petrol and diesel at petrol stations. Restrictions on fuel sales have been introduced in many regions. In particular, there have been reports of petrol purchase limits at the largest petrol station chains in Moscow.