The crisis has triggered rationing, long queues at filling stations and record gasoline price increases across Russia’s 11 time zones, forcing Moscow to seek fuel from other countries.

For African oil producers such as Algeria, Angola, Nigeria, Libya and Egypt, Russia’s fuel crisis could open a new window for countries with active refineries, as global markets seek more secure supplies after US-Iran tensions and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz reshaped fuel trade.

That possibility has gained attention because Russia, one of the world’s biggest energy producers, is now turning to foreign fuel imports to ease domestic shortages, an unusual step for a country that normally relies on its own refining system.

Meanwhile, Russia has not traditionally depended on African crude, but its worsening fuel shortages could make Africa’s oil producers and refiners more strategically important as Moscow seeks supply through direct purchases or alternative refining routes, while sanctions pressure complicates access to Venezuelan and Iranian oil networks.

According to Reuters, at least 60,000 metric tonnes of gasoline have been dispatched from India to Russia, citing an industry source. Another source said two tankers carrying parcels of 30,000 to 40,000 tonnes each had been sent.

Separately, a third source said Russia plans to import 400,000 tonnes of gasoline from various countries each month, including neighbouring Belarus, which has already been exporting fuel to Russia.