Kazakhstan has introduced stricter border controls following widespread attempts to smuggle fuel out of the country. Over the past 48 hours, 61 smuggling attempts have been recorded, indicating serious problems in the petroleum products market.
- Kazakhstan has recorded 61 attempts to smuggle fuel over the past two days.
- Since the start of the year, 593 attempts to smuggle petroleum products have been thwarted.
- The volume of fuel seized exceeded 40,000 litres.
- The reason for the smuggling is the low fuel prices in Kazakhstan.
- The government is tightening border controls to protect the domestic market.
Kazakhstan is closing its borders to «petrol tourists»
The Kazakhstani authorities have stepped up controls at road border crossings to a critical level following widespread attempts to smuggle petroleum products out of the country. Over the past two days, mobile border and customs control teams have recorded 61 attempts to smuggle fuel. The Kazakh government’s press office reported that inspectors prevented the export of over 3 tonnes of fuel, which drivers had attempted to conceal in auxiliary tanks and jerry cans.
The scale of the problem: statistics since the start of the year
The problem of the illegal export of Kazakhstani fuel has become widespread. According to a report by Kazakhstan’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Yerzhan Sadenov, 593 attempts to illegally export petroleum products have already been thwarted at road border checkpoints since the start of the year. The total volume of fuel seized exceeded 40,000 litres. “Smugglers are showing remarkable ingenuity. They fit lorries and cars with concealed fuel tanks that are not part of the vehicles” original design at all,” the country’s Ministry of Internal Affairs stated, showing operational video footage from the inspections.
Why is fuel being exported from the country on a massive scale?
The main reason for «fuel tourism» and smuggling is strict state regulation of prices within Kazakhstan. The cost of petrol and diesel here remains one of the lowest in the region. In neighbouring countries, particularly in Russia, there is a significant shortage of petroleum products, triggered by regular drone strikes on Russian oil refineries. Russian and transit drivers are flocking to Kazakh petrol stations to fill up, or are attempting to smuggle out large quantities of fuel for resale.
The government’s response and restrictions
To protect the domestic market, Kazakhstan has for some time had an official ban on the export of petrol and diesel fuel by road, with the exception of fuel carried in standard factory-fitted tanks. Against the backdrop of recent events, Deputy Finance Minister Yerzhan Birzhanov has stated that special mobile units have been deployed to patrol border areas around the clock. Not only lorries but also tankers and large petrol tankers are subject to heightened inspections. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy emphasises that controls will continue to be tightened to prevent domestic shortages.
