Russian authorities have imposed a ban on gasoline exports for producers of the fuel until the end of July to protect domestic supply, the government said Thursday.
It said the ban was introduced to keep the domestic market supply steady amid high seasonal fuel demand during the agricultural sowing campaign, as well as due to global oil price increases.
The ban does not cover countries with which Russia has intergovernmental agreements on fuel supplies, such as Mongolia.
Several regions in Russia and parts of Ukraine under Russian control were reporting gasoline shortages last year after Ukraine attacked Russian oil refineries and amid a seasonal surge in fuel demand.
Russia has repeatedly imposed curbs on gasoline and diesel exports to rein in rising fuel prices and tackle shortages.
According to industry sources, the country exported nearly 5 million metric tons of gasoline last year, or about 117,000 barrels per day (bpd).
