In May, sales of gasoline from Belarusian refineries rose sharply on the commodity exchange in St. Petersburg. According to data from Kommersant, 17,340 tonnes of Belarusian fuel were sold on the exchange between May 1 and May 22, compared with 300 tonnes during the same period last year.
Between May 18 and May 22 alone, 8,880 tonnes of Belarusian gasoline were sold on the exchange, nearly four times more than in the previous week. A total of 6,000 tonnes of AI-92, 2,400 tonnes of AI-95 and 480 tonnes of AI-100 were sold between May 18 and May 22.
The publication notes that demand for Belarusian gasoline remains high despite its higher price compared with Russian fuel.
The situation comes amid attacks on Russian refineries. Buyers are therefore showing interest in imported fuel given “the actual availability of supply and delivery timelines to destinations”.
A source cited by the publication said the price of Belarusian fuel reflects market conditions. In the source’s view, without price restrictions on Russian gasoline, its price would already be at the level of Belarusian fuel. At the same time, the volume of imports from Belarus is not significant against total annual Russian consumption of 40 million tonnes.
