Equalizing prices: what does the moratorium on zeroing out fuel damper payments mean?

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree "On some economic measures in the fuel and energy sector." According to the document, the deviation threshold for fuel damper payments for gasoline and diesel fuel will not be taken into account from October 1, 2025 to May 1, 2026. For more information about the measure, its causes, as well as fuel prices in Russia in 2025, see the Izvestia article.

Moratorium on zeroing the fuel damper: what is known

On October 12, a decree signed by Vladimir Putin was published on the official Internet portal of legal information, according to which a moratorium on zeroing the fuel damper was introduced.

"To establish that henceforth, until amendments are made to the Tax Code <...> calculation of the Kdemp value <... It is determined in accordance with the established procedure without applying the condition on permissible deviations of the average wholesale prices for the sale of AI-92 class 5 motor gasoline and Class 5 diesel fuel in the Russian Federation over the tax period," the document says.

The Russian Ministry of Energy also reported that this postponement will help stabilize gasoline prices: "The introduction of a moratorium on zeroing the fuel damper will save the calculation of the damping allowance for motor fuel for its manufacturers and will help stabilize the price situation in the domestic market of motor fuel."

According to experts, the moratorium on zeroing the fuel damper is important for all market participants (from large agricultural holdings to car owners) and ensures predictability. Businesses will be able to plan logistics and production costs without budgeting for the risks of a sharp or sudden increase in fuel prices.

Ministry of Energy: zeroing the fuel damper will stabilize gasoline and diesel prices

Fuel damper: what is it

The formation of fuel prices in the Russian domestic market is regulated by a damping mechanism designed to smooth out the influence of external economic and geopolitical factors.

The essence of the damper is to calculate the difference between the export value of fuel and the legally established indicative domestic price. If fuel exports become more profitable than its domestic sales, the government compensates oil refiners for the difference. In the opposite situation, companies transfer funds to the state budget.

Such a system makes it possible to keep the growth of retail fuel prices within the inflation rate. According to data for 2024, oil companies received 1.815 trillion rubles from the Russian budget for fuel damping, in 2023 this amount amounted to 1.588 trillion rubles, and in 2022 — 2.171 trillion rubles.

This mechanism was introduced in 2019, and funds are not paid in every case. According to the Tax Code, if the average wholesale price of gasoline deviates from the indicative by 10%, and the cost of diesel by 20%, then the damper is not paid for this month. In 2025, the indicative price is 60.4 thousand rubles per ton of gasoline and 57.2 thousand rubles per ton of diesel.

Forward tank: oil workers ask Cabinet to impose moratorium on reset of damper

What will the government decide and will it help to stabilize the situation in the fuel market

Rising fuel prices in Russia in 2025

On October 10, 2025, it was reported that gasoline prices in Russia increased by 2.58% in September compared to August, compared with 1.81% in the previous month and 1.37% in July. Gasoline AI-92 rose in price by 2.8%, AI-95 — by 2.5%. As for September 2024, the price increase was 12.73%.

The increase in diesel fuel prices in September 2025 was 1.5% compared to August.

FAS to check gasoline prices at gas stations in three regions of Russia

Experts previously reported that excise taxes and logistical costs had a key impact on prices. In addition, independent gas stations on average sell fuel more expensive than gas stations of large companies. There were also reports that since the beginning of autumn, there has been a shortage of fuel at gas stations in several regions of the Russian Federation. Among them: Khabarovsk Territory, Crimea, Kaluga, Kursk region, Volga region, Stavropol Territory and others.

The shortage was explained by rising prices on the stock exchange, reduced production capacity and logistical difficulties. Among other reasons, experts identified an increase in domestic demand during the agricultural harvest and the holiday season, as well as planned and emergency repairs at refineries.

At the same time, on October 8, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said that oil companies had increased fuel production in Russia, and delivery issues were being handled manually, and there were no global problems in the fuel market right now. He also added that, in general, there is a balance of supply and demand in the fuel market.