Russian Airports Have Restricted Aircraft Refueling
- 13.06.2026, 8:14
Due to a fuel shortage.
The fuel crisis in Russia has spread to the aviation sector. Several major airports have imposed restrictions on aircraft refueling—a consequence of a record series of attacks on oil refineries.
This is reported by Charter97.org citing Russian media.
Where restrictions have been imposed
Notices to pilots regarding jet fuel limits have been issued by the airports in Makhachkala, Mineralnye Vody, Krasnodar, Astrakhan, and Nizhny Novgorod. Refuelling is limited to the amount necessary to complete a specific flight. For example, Makhachkala has set a limit of 8 tons for flights to Dubai and 3.5 tons for flights to Minsk.
Back in late May, airlines received letters from suppliers stating that it would be impossible to refuel aircraft under existing contracts at airports in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Ufa, and a number of other cities.
Prices are breaking records
Exchange sales of jet fuel have effectively come to a halt: since May 4, not a single jet fuel transaction has been concluded on the St. Petersburg Commodity and Raw Materials Exchange. Prices on the wholesale market have soared to a record 113,000 rubles per ton—52% higher than the level at the beginning of March.
“On June 1, only three tankers were sold nationwide,” one of Kommersant’s sources described the situation at the auction.
The cause and the government’s response
The problems began after a record series of strikes on refineries: 16 plants were hit in May, and oil refining in central Russia has virtually ground to a halt.
Following an emergency meeting at the Ministry of Energy, the government banned jet fuel exports from June 1 to November 30 to stabilize the domestic market.
A few days ago, fuel sales at gas stations in the Krasnodar Krai were temporarily suspended due to increased demand and supply disruptions. The fuel crisis in the south has already spread to Siberia, with gasoline rationing introduced 5,000 kilometers from Ukraine.
The systemic cause is pressure on the oil industry due to attacks on refineries and logistics: Russia has already been forced to redirect raw materials from exports to the domestic market, but this is proving insufficient.