Russia seeks Japanese jet fuel for first time in four years amid fallout from Ukrainian strikes
Illustrative photo: Russia is facing a shortage of aviation fuel (Getty Images)
Ukrainian strikes on Russia's oil and gas sector have led to a severe gasoline shortage. Russia has been forced to seek imports of aviation fuel, Reuters reports.
Russia to import aviation fuel from Japan
Russia is preparing to purchase aviation fuel from Northeast Asia amid a fuel crisis triggered by successful Ukrainian strikes on the aggressor state's oil refineries.
According to three sources, a shipment of jet fuel has been arranged with Japan through a network of trading intermediaries.
"At least 200,000 barrels of jet fuel are expected to load from Chiba, Japan, in the first half of July and be shipped to South Korea first, said two of the sources, with several traders involved in the deal chain," the sources told the outlet.
The shipment will then be transferred to another tanker — likely near the South Korean port of Yeosu — before being delivered to Russia. The final destination has not yet been disclosed.
Russia bought fuel from Japan in 2022
According to vessel-tracking data from Kpler, a similar shipment took place in February 2022.
At that time, 22,000 barrels of aviation fuel were delivered from Yeosu to Vladivostok.
Russian jet fuel exports have fallen sharply
Kpler reports that Russia's aviation fuel exports have dropped to around 13,000 barrels per day this year. Most of the shipments are destined for Türkiye.
In 2025, Russia exported about 30,000 barrels per day of this type of fuel.
As previously reported, Russian airline Azimuth Airlines is facing a critical shortage of aviation fuel. Overall, aviation kerosene prices in Russia have risen by an average of 17% since the beginning of June.
Russia's aviation sector is being affected by the fuel crisis. Several major airports have restricted aircraft refueling, a consequence of Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries.
