In July 2026, Kazakhstan's Kondensat refinery shipped its first batch of gasoline to Russia, sending about 1,000 tons to the Volga region in mid-month. The move came amid an acute fuel shortage on the Russian market, reports the website infohub.kz.
The decline in Russian gasoline output, caused by unscheduled repairs and drone attacks on several major refineries, prompted Moscow to seek alternative fuel sources. Among potential suppliers were Kazakhstan, Belarus, and maritime imports from India.
During July and August, supplies from the Kondensat refinery and the Pavlodar petrochemical plant were discussed. According to sources, the Pavlodar plant also plans to begin gasoline deliveries to Russia as early as July.
In exchange for Kazakh gasoline exports, traders say about 9,000 tons of aviation kerosene produced at a Tatneft refinery arrived in Kazakhstan in July. This condition was key to the deal, as Kazakhstan faces a need for kerosene imports due to growing international air transit.
The Kondensat refinery, located in the West Kazakhstan region, can produce up to 200,000 tons of gasoline and an equivalent amount of diesel fuel of environmental class K-5. Until July, it was the only plant in the country that received monthly quotas for free gasoline sales and exported to Central Asia, Georgia, and Afghanistan.