The disruptions to Russia's energy sector due to its war with Ukraine are having a ripple effect in Central Asia, with fuel prices rising across the region and governments scrambling to find alternative sources to meet demand. Officials have sought to reassure consumers that supplies will be sufficient and that prices will eventually come down once global disruptions stabilize. Daniyar Amangeldiev, the first deputy prime minister of Kyrgyzstan, told reporters that rising fuel prices are unavoidable given the global geopolitical turmoil.

"There is an opportunity not to raise prices sharply, but to increase them gradually, by 1 som every two weeks," Amangeldiev said. One Kyrgyz som is equal to just over 1 US cent. "If prices fall on global exchanges, the Agency for Regulation of the Monopolies will work with fuel-importing companies and try to reduce prices." But for Central Asians, the spike in prices has an immediate impact.

Azat, a Bishkek taxi driver who spoke to RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, said rising fuel costs are eating away at his daily earnings. "Honestly, it's becoming really difficult," he said. "We can barely make ends meet anymore." "Gasoline for cars has gone up to 45 soms a liter.

Previously, the same trip would cost around 1,200 soms; now, it costs 1,700." "The city is constantly congested. Sometimes, we don't even cover our expenses and end up in debt," the taxi driver added. Kyrgyz officials say the country of 7.4 million people has so far avoided the severe shortages seen in some regions within Russia itself.

Kanat Eshatov, head of the Association of Oil Traders of Kyrgyzstan, said supplies remain stable and the country has enough reserves to last. "The situation is stable," he said. " Everything is supplied.

We have sufficient reserves for more than six weeks," Eshatov said. "The refineries that process oil products have been hit by drone attacks, which is why some are temporarily not operating." Tajikistan Feels The Pressure Tajikistan, with a population of 11 million, may be the region's most vulnerable country. According to its Antimonopoly Service, 84 percent of petroleum products imported by Tajikistan in 2025 came from Russia.

Consumers are already affected as gasoline and diesel prices climb, a situation exacerbated by disruptions to Persian Gulf supplies due to the Middle East war. Abdujabbor, a taxi driver from Khujand, Tajikistan's second-largest city with 191,000 people, told RFE/RL's Tajik Service on June 25 that diesel prices have risen sharply. "The previous price of diesel was 9 somoni 60 dirams [about $1] per liter," he said.

"Now they are selling it for 13 somoni 50 dirams ($1.41)," Abdujabbor said. "This is already noticeable because our incomes are declining. Why did diesel prices go up?

I don't know. At gas stations they only tell us that diesel prices have increased everywhere, but no one explains what it is connected to." Tajik authorities have repeatedly blamed "external factors" for fuel price increases, without explicitly pointing to Russia as the cause. The pressure has also been complicated by domestic policy.

The Tajik government introduced a new environmental fee of 30 euros per ton on imported gasoline and diesel, adding further costs to an already strained market.