Kyrgyzstan Fears Fuel Shortages, Asks Neighbors for Help

On Wednesday evening, Kyrgyzstan officially requested assistance from Kazakhstan, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan to secure a stable fuel supply. The Central Asian country, with a population of seven million, is responding to concerns about a looming shortage linked to Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil refineries. Kyrgyzstan is heavily dependent on Russia, from which it imports more than 90% of its gasoline.

Russia itself is facing an acute shortage, and President Vladimir Putin has acknowledged the possibility of a ban on oil exports.

The Kyrgyz Ministry of Energy has assured the public that current reserves are sufficient for now and that supplies are proceeding as planned. However, authorities had already introduced price controls on select retail fuels in June. Kyrgyzstan's association of oil traders confirmed that some gas stations are already reporting shortages of premium AI-95 gasoline.

Stocks of the more common AI-92 gasoline are currently sufficient for 30 to 45 days, and diesel fuel for farmers remains available.

Kyrgyzstan, like other countries in the region with economies closely tied to Russia, has been grappling with regular inflationary shocks since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. At the same time, the country has become an important logistics hub for goods bound for Russia, which Moscow uses to circumvent Western sanctions.

(Reuters, Max)