OREANDA-NEWS Maxim Shaskolsky, head of the Federal Antimonopoly Service, said that recently the FAS has initiated 28 cases of violation of antimonopoly legislation in 19 regions based on the results of monitoring prices at gas stations.

"The fuel market is socially significant. The service has organized price monitoring at gas stations. The economic validity of the various components that are included in the final price is checked. Recently, 28 cases of violation of antimonopoly legislation have been initiated in 19 regions," Mr. Shaskolsky said during the conference "Antimonopoly regulation of pricing in the commodity markets of the Russian Federation" (quote from the broadcast on YouTube). According to the head of the Federal Antimonopoly Service, government measures restrain prices for petroleum products in both the retail and wholesale segments.

In September 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture reported that Russian regions faced the threat of fuel shortages. This happened against the background of rising prices and the shutdown of several refineries for scheduled repairs. On September 21, the government temporarily restricted the export of diesel fuel and gasoline. On October 6, some restrictions were lifted.

In January, LUKOIL's catalytic cracking unit at the Nizhny Novgorod refinery, which allows the production of high-octane gasoline, failed. The reason for its shutdown was the breakdown of foreign equipment, which cannot be replaced in the near future due to sanctions. Because of this, the oil company stopped the sale of AI-95 gasoline on the stock exchange. In connection with the accident, Mr. Novak called a meeting at which officials urged oil companies not to raise the cost of fuel at gas stations.