Russia has no plans to lift restrictions on gasoline exports for now, Kommersant daily reported on Thursday citing several oil industry sources.

The Russian energy ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In August, Russian government extended a ban on gasoline exports until the end of 2024, but left the door open for removing the restrictions earlier.

Kommersant said the government has no plans to lift the ban due to ongoing maintenance at the country’s oil refineries. One of the sources told the newspaper that gasoline production levels are currently at their lowest, and lifting the ban may lead to fuel price spikes.

In October, 4.4 million metric tons of refining capacity was due to be taken offline, an increase of 10% from an earlier plan.
Source: Reuters (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; additional reporting by Olesya Astakhova; Editing by Sonali Paul)