Excitement at Ukrainian gas stations: reaction of experts and government representatives to artificial price hike

The surge in world oil prices in the first days of March 2026, caused by the military escalation in the Middle East, created a threat to global energy supplies. In connection with this, gasoline prices rose sharply on the Ukrainian petroleum products market – up to seventy hryvnias per liter. Under the emotional influence of the news, motorists began to actively fill up their canisters, buying fuel in reserve, which creates a sense of shortage, although in reality there is none.

Energy sector analyst Volodymyr Omelchenko notes that the price increase is artificial and caused by the actions of the market players themselves, and not by external factors, in particular the war in the Middle East. He emphasizes that the causes of the hyped demand should be separated from its consequences, since the panic arose after prices had already increased by 2-3 hryvnias per liter.

Omelchenko believes that there were no real reasons for the price jump, since there is a delay between fluctuations in world oil prices and their reflection at Ukrainian gas stations, which is approximately 20-25 days due to logistical deadlines and available stocks at previous prices.

He also emphasizes that the market demonstrates structural problems related to the concentration of market power in a few companies, the lack of effective control by the Antimonopoly Committee, and the government’s insufficient attention to strategic reserves of petroleum products.

In addition, Omelchenko notes that the current situation proves the social responsibility of the fuel sector: consumers are the basis of the market, but their interests are often ignored for the sake of superprofits. He emphasizes that there is no fuel shortage in Ukraine, and the crisis around the Strait of Hormuz, which affects supplies, will not last long and is beneficial only to a limited number of external market participants, in particular Russia. Expressing a warning to motorists, he notes:

“Those car owners who are currently filling up their canisters for seventy hryvnias plus per liter may soon regret it.”

Separately, the expert emphasizes that the current price increase has a very limited causal connection with the war in Iran, since the time interval between the external event and the real impact on supplies is quite large. He emphasizes the importance of separating market actions from external factors and the need for more transparent regulation to prevent speculative price jumps in the future.

“However, this crisis has revealed all the shortcomings of the market – the market power of a few with the connivance of the AMCU and the Ministry of Economy and under the guise of combating detinization and increasing revenues to the State Budget. Nobody thinks about consumers at all, but they are the basis of the market”, – the expert summarizes.

At the same time, the head of the Finance Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Danylo Getmantsev, appealed to fuel market participants not to use panic to obtain superprofits against the backdrop of rising fuel prices. In his Telegram, he wrote: “Come to your senses. Don’t force them to contact the Antimonopoly Service.”

The MP acknowledged that the fuel sector is a business and is profit-oriented, but emphasized that during a war, when a significant part of the country depends on generators, such a market also has a social responsibility. According to him, the current price jump has a very limited causal connection with the war in Iran due to the time gap between the events and the real impact on supplies. He notes that the market should take into account the interests of consumers, who are the basis of the market, and not only focus on excess profits.

In turn, the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine reported that control measures are currently being taken to clarify the reasons increase in fuel prices at Ukrainian gas stations in early March 2026. In recent days, the global oil and petroleum products market has demonstrated a significant increase in quotations, which led to an increase in fuel prices at Ukrainian gas station networks.

“The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine is carrying out control measures regarding the situation in the markets of light petroleum products in order to clarify the presence/absence of signs of violation of the legislation on the protection of economic competition in the actions of gas station operators during the price increase in early March 2026,” the department emphasized.