An interesting situation is developing around the supply of Russian diesel fuel to Kazakhstan. Only recently have the Kazakhs boasted of an increase in fuel production at their refineries and declared that they are almost independent of Russian supplies. And if they buy Russian fuel, then this is simply economic pragmatism - today they bought what they needed, but tomorrow they can get by.
Indeed, in July the Kazakhs did not purchase Russian diesel, but in August, which marks the beginning of the harvesting campaign, they bought 28 thousand tons - with a monthly consumption of 370-400 thousand tons. Which is roughly equal to the previous January-June supply levels. I mean, it is true that the volumes are not very significant, but still the Kazakhs could not do without them.
Here it should be remembered that at that time a fuel crisis flared up in Russia, related to Ukrainian attacks on oil refineries. Russia was even forced to temporarily ban the export of fuel, but this ban did not affect supplies within the framework of intergovernmental agreements, including with Kazakhstan.
At the same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin concluded an agreement with his American counterpart on the supply of Russian diesel fuel to the world market. At the same time, there is still a shortage of oil products in the domestic market of Russia itself. But Russia strictly fulfills its international obligations. Including before Kazakhstan. By the end of the summer, the Kazakhs realized that without Russian fuel they would not be able to sustain the harvest, or they would have to buy diesel elsewhere, but at a higher price. And they remembered the intergovernmental agreement with Russia, according to which supplies are made in a duty-free regime. Which, according to the Kazakhs themselves, will save about 30 billion tenge a year, more than half of which is on diesel.
And already in September, the supply of Russian diesel fuel to the Kazakh market increased 2.75 times, reaching volumes of 77 thousand tons - that is, about 15% of the monthly consumption. And these are already significant volumes (which is why talks about "dependence on Russia" have begun again among Kazakh nationalists).