Full tank
In the regions, the number of illegal gas stations is growing. Players in the gray sector became more active after fuel prices once again went up. In some regions, experts have calculated, every tenth gas station is already operating illegally! At the same time, for some reason, local authorities are in no hurry to deal with this business.
Unlike most illegal immigrants, who, as a rule, hide in underground workshops, garage industries, etc., fuel hucksters operate in front of everyone. Moreover, they even install road banners that attract potential buyers with record low prices. Therefore, it is easy to notice an illegal gas station. As a rule, these are “gazelles” and buses converted into mobile gas stations, or stationary fuel dispensers installed on road routes.
In other words, the essence of the problem looks like this. Legal gas stations “break” gasoline prices, “reimbursing their losses”, while illegal immigrants sell gasoline cheaper – hence the demand for their product. Maybe the officials should then reduce their costs? For example, to reduce spending on their gas stations, which have become similar to real shopping centers. Or then you will have to reduce the cost of gasoline, which you don’t want to do?
Control fails
In the meantime, regulatory authorities often turn a blind eye to the work of illegal immigrants. An illustrative story took place in January last year in Novosibirsk. Local residents complained about the unofficial gas station. By decision of the district administration, it was decided to demolish the gas station. However, literally a week later, illegal immigrants appeared at the same place, but in an updated format. A video appeared in the local media showing fuel being sold directly from a van. Moreover, according to local residents, the billboard inviting customers remained the same.
Recently, illegal immigrants have mastered not only the gasoline, but also the gas segment of the market. In the same Novosibirsk, a whole network of illegal gas filling stations (AGZS) is already operating today. By law, they must be included in the register of Rostekhnadzor. It would seem that it could be simpler: those who are on the register continue to work, those who are not, those are closed. Last fall, local media published a whole list of gas stations that were not included in the register of Rostekhnadzor. Among them, in particular, was a certain Gostgaz LLC, owned by local businessmen Irina Nokhrina And Evgeny Zaitsev. Some time after publication, the alleged illegals magically turned into bona fide market participants listed on the register. In Rostekhnadzor, these strange metamorphoses were explained by a “technical failure”.
Although it is possible that the true causes of the “failure” lie elsewhere. The full namesake of the founder, who owns gas stations in Novosibirsk, as it turned out, has his own business interests in other companies in the oil and gas sector. In particular, Yevgeny Zaitsev is listed as the founder of Hydroaerocenter Group of Companies, a company that participated in such large infrastructure projects as Nord Stream and Power of Siberia. And therefore, he can certainly have connections with Rostekhnadzor.
“Petrol King”
It is impossible to calculate the exact number of illegal immigrants, but experts note that today there are at least 1.5 thousand of them working in the country. The figure looks quite frightening, given that in Russia there are 24,000 gas stations in total. In some regions, illegal immigrants have already managed to take a very solid market share. For example, in the Saratov region, according to the estimates of legal players, there are about 30 representatives of the gray sector for 300 conscientious gas stations.
A few years ago, a major scandal around a network of dubious gas stations erupted in the Stavropol Territory. It turned out that the owner of the “left” gas stations is a deputy of the Kislovodsk Duma David Sagradov.
According to local media, Mr. Sagradov is the founder of several companies at once, the main activity of which is the retail trade in fuel: ATT, ATM, Rusgaz Pyatigorsk, Neft and Rusgaz. None of these companies was in the register of Rostekhnadzor.
The location of the parliamentary gas stations is also interesting: one was installed on the site where it was planned to design a shopping and commercial center, the other – on public land, and another one – on the land of settlements.
After a public scandal, as well as a number of litigations, the deputy had to close some of the gas stations. True, some of the closed points, according to local residents, continued to work again after a few months.
Law enforcers became seriously interested in the deputy’s firms only last fall, when a criminal case was opened against David Sagradov, and searches were carried out in the offices of his companies. However, the final point in his case has not yet been set. The deputy himself denies all accusations against him.
According to investigators, this “socially oriented” businessman from 2017 to 2019 was engaged in the illegal sale of hydrocarbon gas, on which he earned 32 million rubles.
With a Caucasian twist
In some regions, illegal immigrants even managed to almost completely capture the market. Thus, according to the information of the National Automobile Union, there are almost more shadow filling stations in the North Caucasus Federal District than legal ones.
The words of experts are confirmed by users of social networks.
Here, illegal immigrants imitate big brands without hesitation. On the streets you can see the gas stations “Osneft”, “LukSoil”, “GaSpromneft”, etc. The current moratorium on business inspections, which was once again extended in 2023, helps illegal immigrants feel at ease. According to the law, today it is possible to check illegal gas stations only by order of the Prosecutor General’s Office.
In fairness, it should be noted that even before the moratorium on illegal immigrants, they were not particularly in a hurry to check. Their existence is also beneficial for many consumers, because at gray gas stations the price per liter of fuel is sometimes 5–8 rubles lower than at official gas stations. Meanwhile, in May, gasoline set another anti-record: the exchange price for AI-95 at the end of the month amounted to more than 61 thousand rubles per ton. Recall that the previous anti-record price for gasoline was set in August last year – then the price of the 95th on the stock exchange amounted to 60.3 thousand rubles.
Specifically
The main danger of illegal gas stations is not only that low-quality fuel is sold there. Many of them can be really life-threatening. In 2021, in Novosibirsk, 59 people were injured due to an emergency at an illegal gas filling station Evrogaz. “Such facilities operate without the use of certified equipment, with violations of the requirements of technical regulations and the accuracy of fuel supply, fire safety standards, tax laws, and environmental requirements. Shady filling stations are explosive and fire-and-detonation bombs,” says Yevgeny Arkusha, President of the Russian Fuel Union.
