Now 575 days into his war in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin has halted virtually all exports of gasoline and diesel out of the country to lessen the pain for average Russians and protect the nation's food supply.
Russia's leader has tried to keep the daily lives of Russians insulated from the worst impacts of his expansionary campaign in order to minimize risks to political stability. But with all resources at their disposal directed at maintaining the war effort, wholesale prices for the two fuels have reached record levels in recent months, according to state news agency TASS.
