Russia May Return to 'Euro-2' Standard, Banned Since 2013 Due to Fuel Crisis

The Russian government is preparing to take a major step back in environmental standards in order to alleviate the severe fuel crisis the country is going through. According to the official draft decision obtained by the Kommersant newspaper, it is planned to allow the production of gasoline and diesel fuel of the 'Euro-2' standard, which is much more harmful to the environment, for one year, that is, until July 2027. Not only the production of this low-standard fuel within the country, but also its import from outside will be liberalized. In this context, the obligation for imported fuels to comply with the technical regulations of the Eurasian Economic Union (AEB) will also be lifted. The sale of 'Euro-2' standards in Russia has been strictly prohibited since 2013 on the grounds of environment and human health.

NEFT Research Communications Director Dmitri Prokofyev states that the most fundamental difference between different fuel classes lies in the restrictions on the sulfur rate. While the currently in-force 'Euro-5' standard can contain a maximum of 10 milligrams of sulfur per kilogram of fuel, in the 'Euro-2' standard, this rate can go up to 500 milligrams. This massive difference in sulfur poses a serious threat in terms of environmental pollution and provides a great convenience in production processes. The 'Euro-2' standard allows naphtha to be used directly as the base of the fuel without undergoing a deep refinement process. This situation enables facilities that do not have the capacity to produce higher-quality fuel to step in, producing and releasing hundreds of thousands of tons of additional gasoline into the market every month.

However, experts believe that even this strategic move by the government will not be able to fully close the current fuel deficit.A large part of the modern vehicle fleet across the country is not designed to be compatible with the use of such low-quality and high-sulfur fuels.Prokofyev emphasizes that the exhaust and engine systems of modern automobiles may suffer serious mechanical damage and create long-term safety risks if operated with 'Euro-2' fuel. Therefore, even if the extra amount of fuel released to the market exceeds the current demand, its degrading effect on vehicles has the potential to cause new and costly problems. This means that the formula sought to resolve the crisis will reflect different costs on the economy and the transportation infrastructure.

The main reason that pushed the government in Russia to such a radical decision is the fuel shortage that has deepened in recent months and engulfed the entire country. At the core of the crisis becoming unbearable, especially since May, lie the consecutive Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle attacks on the Russian oil industry. The targeting of large refinery facilities in various parts of the country by Ukrainian drones caused a serious decline in fuel production capacity. The government's turn towards the 'Euro-2' standard is interpreted as an emergency management response resulting from this infrastructural destruction. The shortage has reached such proportions that even the country's top officials have been forced to share the severity of the situation with the public.

This development stands out as Russia's second major attempt to close its fuel deficit by lowering production standards. Previously, in the autumn period of 2025, the government allowed some refineries to produce fuel of 'Euro-3' standards for the domestic market. However, industry sources stated that even this flexibility was not enough to eliminate the fuel shortage and that the problems could not be overcome. According to information on social media and independent news sites, Russian citizens wait in lines for dozens of hours to find gasoline, and the number of those unable to buy fuel for their vehicles is increasing rapidly in some regions. It is even reported that in some cities, garbage trucks cannot operate because they cannot find fuel, and that the shortage has reached much more severe proportions in undeclared regions.