The ban was announced earlier in July and was to last until July 31. The ban has now been extended until the end of the year, but Russia plans to lift it as soon as the market recovers, according to the country's Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak.
The ban will be lifted in time to prevent refineries from suffering a surplus, Novak told reporters in Omsk in Siberia on Saturday, according to the pro-Kremlin Russian news agency Interfax.
The fuel shortage has led to long queues at gas stations and dissatisfaction among the population.
