From July 15 to July 21, 2026, auto delivery from China increased by 15–25% due to queues at gas stations and at Zabaikalsk. By the end of the week, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said that the fuel market had partially returned to normal. The Northern Sea Route and container imports increased in volume, while the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the EAEU are tightening digital control over documents and transit.
Cars from China and the shift to sea and rail
Kommersant on July 15 recorded a 15–25% increase in rates on the Chinese auto route within a month. Market participants see the reason in the fact that cars are idle at gas stations and at the border, rather than in the percentage of diesel. In Zabaikalsk, fuel trucks received a priority corridor, and the overall cargo flow slowed down. Transit Zabaikalsk–Moscow is estimated at 10–12 days, 23% longer than before.
Some importers are splitting batches and moving to multimodal schemes. Rates for sea and rail are following suit. Through Novorossiysk, an increase of about $100 per TEU and $200 per FEU is mentioned, through Vladivostok $200 and $400. Free slots for August are being booked in advance. The Ministry of Transport indicates that since March, imported containers by rail from China have exceeded the level of 2025 by more than 35% each month. Far Eastern terminals are loaded at about 66% capacity.
Fuel circuit from embargo to market alignment
Since July 8, there has been a ban on the export of diesel fuel from Russia until the end of the month. Earlier, the government had already closed the export of gasoline and aviation kerosene. According to Logirus, which cites S&P Global, June exports of diesel from the Russian Federation amounted to 14.8 million barrels. This is half of January. By July 13, quotations in the ports of North-West Europe ARA reached $70.3 per barrel. Turkey and Brazil are looking for a replacement for Russian batches.
On July 21, Alexander Novak stated that the measures are yielding results. In many regions, restrictions at gas stations are being lifted, queues are subsiding. The government is keeping the supply of grain farmers under control during the harvesting season and the northern supply of aviation kerosene with winter diesel. There is still tension in some regions. Work is being carried out with oil companies on a targeted basis.
Declarations without edits and EAEU seals from July 31
On July 17, Logirus analyzed the draft order of the Ministry of Industry and Trade with new forms of certificates and declarations. Public discussion goes on until August 11, 2026, and the planned start of the norms is set for March 1, 2027. It will be impossible to make edits to the already registered declaration, so the company needs to issue a new one. The cards add requirements for the identification of the foreign manufacturer, up to the GLN or GLONASS coordinates.
Starting from July 31, the second stage of electronic navigation seals in the EAEU begins. Mandatory monitoring is extended to all customs road transit, and for railways, light industry and radio electronics are included in the list. The seal is placed in the country of origin of the route. Payment is collected at one point. For railway workers, the seal number is included in the details of the transit declaration, and without synchronization of the application, the train risks stopping at the border.
Northern Sea Route, containers and oil corridors
On July 16, Interfax reported the words of Rosatom head Alexey Likhachev. By mid-July, 18.8 million tons of cargo were transported via the Northern Sea Route. This is 13.7% more than a year ago. The forecast for 2026 is 40 million tons compared to 37 million in 2025.
On July 20, PortNews published an assessment by Delo Group. The container market in Russia for the first half of the year amounted to 3.8 million TEU (+7.1% year-on-year). In June, the market reached 668 thousand TEU. This is the maximum in 15 years. Imports through the ports of the Far East increased by 38%, through land border crossings with Asia by 25%, and cabotage St. Petersburg–Kaliningrad by 71%.
The oil infrastructure also gave two risk signals that week. Kazakhstan confirmed that there will be no supplies to Germany via the Druzhba pipeline in July and August due to technical transit restrictions through Russia. On July 17, a drone attacked an empty tanker at the CPC terminal near Novorossiysk, the fire was extinguished. The Kazakh Ministry of Energy and the consortium reported that oil loading is proceeding according to schedule. Volumes in the east and in the Arctic are growing, while export oil corridors are vulnerable.
On July 21, Logirus also reported a local сбой on the Armenian route. Farmers blocked the Yerevan–Eraskh highway after the failure of tomato exports to Russia. For mass container flows, this is a trifle, but for perishable products, it is a delay at the border.
The logistics summary for the week is clear. The fuel factor has already affected the rates of road, sea and rail, while regulators are preparing a stricter digital FEA контур. While gas stations are beginning to thaw, and the Northern Sea Route and Far Eastern imports are providing volume, it makes sense to lay seals, new declaration rules and a time buffer for the Chinese segment in advance.