"Rosneft" sent 960 tons of gasoline to Abkhazia

A batch of AI-92 gasoline has been imported into Abkhazia under a contract with "Rosneft", but less than a third of the total volume will be available for sale at gas stations.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", problems with the availability of gasoline in Abkhazia have persisted throughout August. On August 15, residents of Abkhazia, commenting on the report by Energy Minister Batal Mushba, pointed to high prices at private gas stations and the lack of noticeable improvement in the situation with queues. Drivers surveyed by "Caucasian Knot" described hours of waiting at gas stations.

960 tons of AI-92 gasoline, purchased under a contract from PJSC "Rosneft", arrived in Abkhazia, reported the press service of the company "Apsny Oil" on August 20.

Part of the gasoline - 303 tons - will be allocated according to requests from the companies "AZiD", "Alkhan", and "Salamandra" for sale at gas stations, according to the official Telegram channel of the organization.

The message does not specify how the remaining volume of gasoline will be distributed. The company added that the listed gas station operators will also receive "380 tons of diesel fuel" by the end of the week.

The previous batch of gasoline, totaling one thousand tons, arrived from Russia in Abkhazia on August 11. The Minister of Energy of the republic, Batal Mushba, announced it on August 13, assuring the residents of Abkhazia that fuel would continue to be supplied, notes “Kommersant”.

“Unfortunately, external circumstances do not allow for the full import of very large batches,” Mushba said on Abkhaz television.

According to the official, retail prices for gasoline should not increase for some time, as the authorities of Abkhazia purchased it “at a low price.” He linked the shortage to the tourist season - this factor, the minister claims, has increased fuel demand by 2.5 times.

In the past week, a private Georgian company also supplied gasoline to Abkhazia. The operator of the gas station network Connect, the company Repsol, with the permission of the Georgian government, sold gasoline to a middleman - LLC "Solidus", which supplied fuel to Abkhazia. After criticism from the opposition, the company announced the cessation of gasoline shipments to this organization.

The batch of gasoline supplied to Abkhazia by the private Georgian company was small, and there was no political subtext to it, Abkhaz experts stated. In their opinion, supplies from Georgia did not fundamentally change the situation in the republic, and Abkhazia remains critically dependent on fuel supplies from Russia, while exports from other countries are unlikely due to logistical problems.