Fuel crisis hits freight transport between Russia and China

Russia is recording problems in the road haulage market caused by fuel supply disruptions – affecting not only domestic carriers but also companies transporting goods abroad.

Source: Russian news outlet Kommersant

Details: The Russian outlet reports that "the main difficulties are observed in the south; on the China route, daily mileage, frequency and predictability of trips are declining, and waiting times at petrol stations are measured in days".

Carriers have been hit hard by the reduction or cancellation of fuel card discounts; individual carriers have been affected even more severely, as fuel dispensing limits for private individuals apply to them.

Market participants note that there is no alternative to road transport for most of their clients.

Carriers are already warning clients of forthcoming price increases amid fuel supply disruptions. "We have received notifications from our fellow road carriers about tariff increases: a minimum 10% rise has been announced from 1 July. I can assume this is not the ceiling," said Tatiana Patuzhna, co-founder of Sigma.

VIG Trans founder Igor Rebelsky says that domestic transport rates are relatively stable for now but will increase.

"In certain regions, particularly in Siberia, southern Russia and a number of border oblasts, fuel dispensing restrictions and supply disruptions are being recorded, which complicates trip planning," he says.

In his words, the impact is more pronounced in the international transport segment: diesel prices have risen from RUB 70-72 (approx. US$0,90-0,92) to RUB 77-90 (approx. US$0,99-1,16) per litre, with rates increasing by around 5%.

Aleksei Shpikelman, CEO of Bayt Tranzit, says difficulties are being felt in Crimea and other southern regions, where there is "certain pressure" on the fuel market, primarily for diesel.

Delivery times may be extended in Krasnodar Krai and Crimea due to queues at petrol stations, notes Vadim Filatov, co-owner and deputy director of PEK.

Georgiy Vlastopulo, head of logistics company Optimalog, says that over the past week and a half, freight transport from China has risen by an average of US$700 per trip due to higher fuel costs.

Aleksei Chernyshev, commercial director of AKFA, says that on the China route, prices rose by RUB 50,000-70,000 (approx. US$642-898) per vehicle in one week, reaching RUB 760,000-830,000 (approx. US$9,760-10,657) for delivery of a lorry from Manchuria to Moscow, with an expected further increase of RUB 200,000 (approx. US$2,568).

According to Vlastopulo, daily mileage on the China route has declined from the previous 600-700 km per day to 500 km. Losses in queues can reach a full day. In Kazakhstan, there are also "difficulties of its own related to customs control".

Difficulties in finding transport for long-distance routes within Russia are also being observed, adds Andrei Zelinskyi, CEO of Pontis Expedition: many lorry owners are refusing long-distance trips due to uncertainty about fuel availability at petrol stations.

Some are significantly inflating transport costs. On certain trunk routes, rate increases of around 10% on average are being recorded at a time when demand is also rising due to the seasonal transport of vegetables, fruit and melons.

Background:

• From the start of 2026, Ukraine has struck Russian oil infrastructure more than 20 times, including oil refineries, export terminals and pipelines. By early May, this had already cost Russia more than US$7 billion.
• A refinery in Slavyansk-on-Kuban in Krasnodar Krai caught fire following a massive Ukrainian drone attack on the night of 27-28 June.
• Transport companies in Sevastopol in temporarily occupied Crimea previously complained of receiving only a quarter of the fuel they actually need, resulting in the cancellation of some bus routes.
• Petrol stations in temporarily occupied Crimea, including those belonging to major networks, have begun closing en masse.
• The authorities in temporarily occupied Crimea have said they do not know when the free sale of petrol and diesel will resume on the peninsula, since fuel supplies are being "regulated" by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

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