The most expensive and cheapest gasoline in Russia. Why are fuel prices different everywhere
Gasoline on the exchange increased in price by 12% in June. What to expect from prices at gas stations now?
Alarming news is coming from the St. Petersburg stock exchange: AI-92 gasoline has increased in price by 12.5% in June, and AI-95 by 12.2%. This does not mean that retail prices at gas stations will immediately skyrocket, but motorists and transport companies will, albeit with a lag, suffer a blow to their finances. And so, since July 1, prices for housing and communal services have been increasing, and now gasoline…
Petrol prices rose by 12% on the St. Petersburg Exchange in June. Photo: St. Petersburg Exchange
But the Ministry of Energy reassures : there will be no sharp jumps in fuel prices in Russia in the near future.
— Traditionally, in the summer period, demand for fuel from the agricultural sector increases, and motorists' activity also grows, including tourist trips. The current situation on the fuel market is stable. Gasoline and diesel fuel reserves are close to historical maximums, which guarantees uninterrupted supply to the domestic market.
Gasoline prices at gas stations rose by 1.7% in June 2025. Photo: 1MI
The dynamics of gasoline prices at retail so far confirms the words of the Ministry of Energy: there is no sharp increase in prices. Monitoring by Petrol Plus shows that gasoline at Russian gas stations has increased in price by 1.7% on average, regardless of grade.
But there is no point in drawing parallels between changes in exchange and retail prices. There are no price limits on the exchange, everything depends only on supply and demand. Therefore, prices can change very quickly within wide limits. If regular gas stations start rewriting price tags every day, this will lead to a rush demand during the period of low prices and questions from the FAS during the period of high prices. Both options are undesirable.
Gas station owners try to avoid price shocks and uneven demand for fuel. Photo: newizv.ru
And not all gasoline is sold on the exchange. In the first half of 2025, refineries sold 43% of the 95th gasoline and 56% of the 92nd gasoline produced on the exchange. The rest is sold under privately concluded contracts, including long-term ones.
A more accurate picture is provided by an analysis of prices over at least the last three years: if we ignore short-term price fluctuations, wholesale prices have increased by 35% during this time, and retail prices by 18%.
Over the past three years, gasoline has risen in price by a third on the exchange. Photo: Petersburg Exchange
"NI" reported that by the end of 2024, fuel prices outpaced inflation for the first time. In retail, gasoline is predictably rising in price twice as slowly as on the wholesale market. Are gas station owners really sacrificing their own profits out of pure altruism? Not at all.
Fuel prices at gas stations have increased by 15% in three years. Photo: petrolplus.ru
For modern gas stations, gasoline is just a way to attract people. Under normal conditions, according to OMT-Consult, 50% of profit comes from selling related products — drinks, chocolate bars, baked goods, and other hot dogs. And during periods of low margins, when the difference between wholesale and retail prices for fuel is minimal, related products account for up to 80% of profit.
Gasoline and diesel are just a lure for buyers to whom they can sell a lot of other goods at inflated prices. One way or another, people leave their money at gas stations, which continue to make a profit. They just transfer the markup on gasoline to the cost of related goods.
Gas stations shift profits from gasoline to related products. Photo: Azbuka Vkusa
As it turns out, the statistics of retail fuel prices in the country as a whole do not reflect the growth of motorists' expenses. But there are regions where gas stations are not shy about briskly rewriting the price tags for the fuel itself. Residents of remote regions, where gas stations cannot afford to live on chocolate bars alone, and in Crimea suffer the most from the rise in fuel prices.
According to Rosstat, the highest increase in the price of AI-92 over the past 12 months was recorded in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug — by 14.3% to 60.13 rubles per 1 liter. Next come Komi (+13.9%), Sevastopol and Crimea (+11.2% each) and Kamchatka Krai (+11%). Kamchatka, by the way, took second place in absolute prices — 71.01 rubles per liter of 92nd. Only Yakutia is more expensive — 72.03 rubles per liter.
The geography of the AI-95 price increase differs: this grade has increased in price the most in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug (+12.5%), Yakutia (+11.5%), Tyumen Oblast (+11.3%), Chuvashia (+10.7%) and Amur Oblast (+10.5%). Only Yakutia's leadership in absolute cost remains unchanged: 75.35 rubles per liter of 95th.
Gasoline price statistics: the most expensive and cheapest regions of the Russian Federation. Photo: newizv.ru
At this rate, it will be time to organize fuel tours and equip tankers for delivery across half the country. The cheapest gasoline was found in the Altai Territory - there a liter of 95th costs an average of 57.17 rubles. In Yakutia, fuel is a third more expensive.
Regardless of regional peculiarities, the Ministry of Energy will be right: there will be no sharp price hikes at gas stations. But a stable price increase cannot be avoided. And when shopping at gas stations, you will not immediately notice how your travel expenses have increased.
newizv.ru
