site.btaBudget Committee Chair Expects No Fuel Market Disruptions by Sanctions Imposed on Lukoil

No disruptions are expected on Bulgarian fuel market as a result of the sanctions imposed by the US on the Russian companies Rosneft and Lukoil, said parliamentary Committee on Budget and Finance Chair Delyan Dobrev (GERB-UDF), speaking to journalists after a meeting of the Committee on Thursday.

"The Bulgarian Parliament has acted in advance, and you know that about three weeks ago we adopted at first reading in the Committee and in plenary a bill under which the sale of Lukoil will be subject to state approval - first by the State Agency for National Security and then by the Council of Ministers. In other words, we have already taken the necessary measures proactively," Dobrev said.

He assured that there is no reason for concern among consumers. "I do not expect any disruptions on the fuel market. People should remain calm," he said, adding that the European common market is large and there are many fuel producers.

According to him, the imposed sanctions are not of such a nature as to hinder the normal operation of the Lukoil oil refinery near the coastal city of Burgas.

Asked by the Bulgarian News Agency whether the sanctions could impede or, on the contrary, accelerate a possible sale of Lukoil’s assets in Bulgaria, Dobrev replied that it is possible for them to have an impact on a hypothetical sale. "The owner is private, but it is possible that there could be an effect in both directions," Dobrev noted.

On October 22, 2025, the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) expanded its sanctions on Russia by designating that country's two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, under Executive Order 14024. The idea is to step up economic pressure on Russia's energy sector, which is a critical source of revenue for the Kremlin's military operations in Ukraine.