Bishkek, 28 October. The first consignments of fuel and lubricants from China arrived in Kyrgyzstan by rail on 28 October, Kanatbek Eshatov, president of the Association of Oil Traders of Kyrgyzstan, told a meeting on the country’s energy resilience, the 24.kg agency reported.
Until now Chinese fuel had reached Kyrgyzstan only by road. According to Eshatov, whereas the country used to buy fuel mainly from Russia, it now also brings it in from Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Belarus and Turkey. The diesel situation is stable, he said, but there is a shortage of petrol: the country has not yet been able to buy it in the volumes it needs, so it is looking for new suppliers and trying to raise imports.
Kyrgyzstan’s dependence on its two neighbours is huge. In the first eight months of 2026, according to the National Statistical Committee, the country imported $644.8 million worth of petroleum products, $623.6 million of which was petrol and diesel, with Russia and Kazakhstan remaining the main suppliers: together they cover more than 87% of the republic’s needs. Over eight months 393.3 million litres of petrol were imported for $212.3 million, more than 94% of it from Russia. Imports of petroleum products fell by 11.6% in tonnes, while spending on them rose by 21.5% because of higher prices on world markets.
A country that gets 94% of its petrol from one neighbour is now getting acquainted with suppliers from five others. The government supports the market with money: the 2026 budget sets aside more than 11.4 billion soms in subsidies for companies that import and sell fuel, and by 26 October more than 2.6 billion had been paid out. The subsidies run from 25 May to 31 December. At a meeting on 26 October the Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Adylbek Kasymaliev, said that according to the cabinet, stocks of AI-95 and AI-92 petrol, diesel and autogas would last until the end of the year, and instructed officials to find new suppliers, resolve logistics problems at the border and speed up the modernisation of oil refineries. For 2027 Finance Minister Ruslan Suinaliev has promised 5 billion soms for the same subsidies.
What it means: Kyrgyzstan, which depends almost entirely on Russian petrol, has begun bringing fuel from China by rail as well as by road. Petrol is still in short supply, and the government is holding prices down with subsidies.
Who benefits: Kyrgyz oil traders and consumers gain another supply channel amid a petrol shortage. For Kazakhstan, which together with Russia covers most of Kyrgyzstan’s demand for fuel, one more supplier is appearing in its neighbour’s market.
Background: Russia is Kyrgyzstan’s main petrol supplier, and in 2026 its fuel market has been under pressure from drone strikes on oil refineries. Kyrgyzstan’s own refineries, including the Junda plant, are operating, and the government has ordered their modernisation and the construction of new ones to be accelerated.
