Russia Eyes Japanese Jet Fuel Imports as Fuel Crisis Deepens

Russia is reportedly importing jet fuel from Japan via intermediaries as the country grapples with an unprecedented fuel crisis triggered by sustained Ukrainian strikes.

Reuters on Friday, citing “several ⁠traders involved in the deal chain,” reported that Russia is eyeing 200,000 barrels of jet fuel from Japan’s Chiba that are set to be routed through South Korea.

The shipment is expected to arrive in the first half of July, after a likely ship-to-ship transfer off South Korea’s ​Yeosu port, the outlet said. The final destination of the shipment remains unclear.

Reuters said the last shipment of its kind took place in 2022, when 22,000 barrels of jet fuel were delivered to Russia’s Far East port of Vladivostok from Chiba, via South Korea’s ​Yeosu.

The publication said it has reached out to the relevant ministries in Japan, South Korea and Russia. Seoul declined to comment while the other two did not respond.

Japan has been one of the staunchest supporters of Ukraine in Asia, contributing $14.7 million in May to fund non-lethal equipment for Ukraine through NATO’s Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) mechanism.

The Asian nation is also the only country producing the highly sought-after Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missiles outside of the US, with discussions in June deliberating potential exports to Ukraine.

Unprecedented fuel crisis

Ukraine’s months-long campaign targeting Russian oil infrastructure has led to an unprecedented fuel crisis for the third-largest oil producer in the world.

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Russian Officials Receive Priority at Gas Stations Amid Nationwide Fuel Crisis

According to eyewitnesses, one customer gained access to fuel by providing the verbal passcode “Government.”

Fuel sales restrictions have been introduced nationwide in Russia in recent weeks, including Moscow and St. Petersburg, with Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledging the crisis as police were sent to enforce fuel rationing in Siberia.

Russian-installed authorities in occupied Crimea have announced a state of emergency in late June as logistics to the peninsula were also severed.

Citing Kpler ​ship-tracking data, Reuters said Russian jet fuel exports have fallen to about 13,000 ⁠barrels ​per day (bpd) in 2026, compared to 30,000 bpd exports last year.

As the fuel crisis deepens, Russia is reportedly importing 60,000 metric tons of gasoline from India and about 50,000 metric tons of AI-92 gasoline from Kazakhstan.

On Sunday, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said that Russia is already importing between 100,000 and 150,000 metric tons of gasoline per month from Belarus.

However, the total still falls short of the consumption rate of 110,000 ​tons per day in summer cited by Reuters.

On Friday, Ukraine’s sanctions envoy, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, told journalists that Kyiv has discussed potential EU sanctions targeting countries that export gasoline to Russia.