Gasoline and diesel prices at filling stations in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk plunged and then abruptly rebounded around a brief visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On the evening of Aug. 2, prices fell by roughly 24 roubles per litre across several fuel chains, returning to levels not seen since before Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian refineries triggered the country's worst fuel crisis since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Putin arrived the following day to attend the finals of a national youth competition and tour a university campus. By Aug. 4, prices had climbed back to their previous highs, with AI-92 and AI-95 gasoline rising 24 roubles and diesel 21 roubles within minutes.
A similar pattern emerged in late July in Irkutsk, where fuel prices dropped at least 11 roubles ahead of a separate presidential visit. Some Russian regions have recently begun easing fuel-sale restrictions imposed during the crisis.