“We believe that with an adjusted damper, retail fuel prices will not exceed inflation,” Mr. Shulginov told reporters at the First Caucasian Investment Fair in Mineralnye Vody.

Recall that former Finance Minister Anton Siluanov announced the authorities’ plans to halve additional payments to oil workers under the fuel damper mechanism from July this year. Because, according to him, this money (about 8,000 rubles for each ton of fuel) completely becomes the profit of oil refineries and does not affect the price tags at gas stations. The “fuel damper” was invented by the authorities in 2019 to prevent an uncontrolled price increase in the domestic Russian fuel market.

In connection with the latest statements of the ministers, a logical question arises: since the amount of payments under the “damper” does not fundamentally affect retail prices at Russian gas stations, for what purpose were the record 2.2 trillion rubles transferred in 2022 from the Treasury to oil companies under this mechanism. ruble?

“We believe that with an adjusted damper, retail fuel prices will not exceed inflation,” Mr. Shulginov told reporters at the First Caucasian Investment Fair in Mineralnye Vody.

Recall that former Finance Minister Anton Siluanov announced the authorities’ plans to halve additional payments to oil workers under the fuel damper mechanism from July this year. Because, according to him, this money (about 8,000 rubles for each ton of fuel) completely becomes the profit of oil refineries and does not affect the price tags at gas stations. The “fuel damper” was invented by the authorities in 2019 to prevent an uncontrolled price increase in the domestic Russian fuel market.

In connection with the latest statements of the ministers, a logical question arises: since the amount of payments under the “damper” does not fundamentally affect retail prices at Russian gas stations, for what purpose were the record 2.2 trillion rubles transferred in 2022 from the Treasury to oil companies under this mechanism. ruble?