Kazakhstan's Largest Oil Refineries Have Refused To Supply Gasoline To Russia
- 26.08.2026, 16:49
Because of the sanctions.
Kazakhstan's major oil refineries have not used the quotas allocated to them for gasoline shipments to Russia, four industry sources told Reuters.
According to the agency's sources, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy authorized the shipment of 17,500 metric tons of AI-92 gasoline to the Russian market in July from the Pavlodar Refinery—the country’s second-largest in terms of capacity (5.5 million metric tons per year). The Atyrau Refinery (also with a capacity of 5.5 million metric tons per year) received a similar quota in August.
Despite this, according to sources at Reuters, petroleum product owners do not plan to export gasoline. They cite difficulties with payments through Russian banks and the risk of falling under Western sanctions as the reasons. “No one wants to fall under sanctions,” said one of the agency’s sources.
Furthermore, Reuters sources emphasize that in Kazakhstan itself, domestic motor fuel supplies are currently insufficient: demand is seasonally high, and neighboring countries are experiencing shortages in the wake of Russia’s.
The only refinery in Kazakhstan that agreed to supply gasoline to Russia is the small “Kondensat” refinery, with a capacity of 850,000 metric tons per year. In August, it received its first shipment of Russian crude oil by rail, totaling 4,100 metric tons; previously, it had purchased naphtha from Tatneft. In July, the refinery shipped 9,000 metric tons of gasoline to Russia.
Gasoline from the Atyrau refinery is too expensive for Russian importers, according to Reuters sources: it costs $1,100–1,200 per metric ton of Ai-92, or approximately 101,300 rubles. This is 43% higher than the current price on the St. Petersburg Commodity and Raw Materials Exchange—708,280 rubles per metric ton.
Domestic gasoline production in Russia currently covers only two-thirds of demand, according to Dmitry Prokofiev, director of external communications at NEFT Research. Since the beginning of the year, Ukrainian drones have attacked Russian refineries more than 70 times. As of early August, at least 18 refineries were completely idle or operating at partial capacity, and over the past four weeks, another five refineries have completely halted fuel production.