Govt closes loophole for Russian oil products import
The Ukrainian government has banned imports of fuel of unknown origin, effectively blocking Russian oil products from third countries from entering the Ukrainian market, deputy energy minister Mykola Kolisnyk said.
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The ban, which will apply to petrol, diesel, autogas, and biodiesel, was imposed by amending a 2015 government decree limiting imports from Russia.
The decree put in place a partial embargo on a number of Russian goods, including meat, fish, some dairy products and coffee, tea, sweets, alcohol and cigarettes, medicines, fertilisers, industrial goods, vehicles, paper products, etc.
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine imposed a full trade embargo on Russia in April 2022.
“From now on, fuel of uncertain origin (read Russian) will not be able to enter the Ukrainian market,” Mr Kolisnyk posted on Facebook.
According to Serhiy Koretskyi, CEO Ukrnafta, Ukraine’s largest oil producing company, Russian autogas began appearing in Ukraine in autumn 2022 under the guise of products from Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.
Russian diesel, in turn, was claimed to have come from Albania, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Turkey and India.
“It was cheap, so some traders turned a blind eye to cooperation with the enemy. Now the loopholes are closed,” Mr Koretskyi said.
The ban means that customs authorities will require a certificate of the country of origin when clearing petroleum products.