Russia's Rosstat denies fuel price data is classified

Russia's state statistics agency Rosstat rejects claims that the country's fuel price data has been classified, saying changes to the statistical reporting plan were made only to standardize data presentation. However, petrol prices in Russia rose 3% and diesel prices 2.7% from 16-22 June, marking the largest weekly increase in 20 years according to Bloomberg. Russia is experiencing a fuel shortage, prompting several regions to impose restrictions on petrol sales.

Russia's federal statistics agency Rosstat denied on Tuesday, 1 July 2026, reports that state fuel price data has been classified as secret. The agency confirmed that changes to the federal statistical work plan were made solely to "harmonize navigation between indicators and standardize information presentation," and fuel price data will remain publicly available on both the Rosstat website and the unified inter-departmental statistical information system.

What actually changed?

However, Rosstat acknowledged that data will no longer be published "in all the formats in which it was previously released." Independent outlet The Bell reported earlier that a government directive issued a week prior removed from Rosstat's fuel price bulletin "information on consumer prices of petroleum products"-meaning data broken down by petrol grade (AI-92/95/98/diesel), by region, and across 1,800 petrol stations in 280 cities. Rosstat typically publishes consumer fuel price data on its website once weekly, on Wednesdays.

Fuel shortage and price rises

Rosstat's explanation comes as Russia faces a serious fuel shortage, with several regions imposing restrictions on petrol and diesel sales. Official statistics show petrol prices rose 3% between 16-22 June and diesel prices 2.7%. By Bloomberg's assessment, this represents the largest weekly price increase in Russia over the past 20 years.

Critics view Rosstat's explanation with scepticism: the loss of detailed regional data and petrol station-by-petrol station pricing effectively makes it impossible to monitor and compare price growth accurately, even if aggregate data remains published. This means citizens and journalists find it substantially harder to identify which regions are most affected by the fuel shortage.