Lviv Region Tops the Ranking of Regions for the Number of Illegal Gas Stations
According to updated data for May 2025, more than half of all gas stations operating in violation of the law are located in five regions of Ukraine, with Lviv Region taking first place in the number of such facilities. A total of 428 gas stations exhibiting signs of illegal activity have been identified across the country.
This is reported by AgroReview
Top Regions by Number of Violations
According to information provided by the Ukrainian Oil and Gas Association, the highest number of illegal gas stations has been recorded in Lviv Region — 87 facilities, accounting for about 20% of the total. Next are Odesa Region with 47 gas stations (11%), Kyiv Region along with the city of Kyiv — 44 gas stations (10%), Ivano-Frankivsk Region with 34 gas stations (8%), and Dnipropetrovsk Region with 29 gas stations (7%). Over 56% of illegal gas stations are concentrated in these regions.
The Ukrainian Oil and Gas Association has submitted all available data regarding the location of suspicious gas stations to the State Tax Service for appropriate action.
Consequences and Signs of Illegal Activity
“This indicates a chronic regional concentration of the problem. Despite the government’s efforts, illegal gas stations continue to operate, undermining the economy, the competitiveness of legal market participants, and posing a threat to citizens and surrounding infrastructure,” the association states.
The President of NAU, Yaroslav Starovoytenko, emphasized that shadow market operators sell counterfeit fuel, evade tax payments, pay salaries “in envelopes,” and violate basic safety requirements. As a result, they can offer fuel at prices lower than production costs, negatively impacting the market and reducing financial resources for maintaining the country’s defense capability.
Key signs of an illegal gas station include the absence of a fiscal receipt or the presence of a receipt marked “test mode,” lack of a consumer corner with necessary information about the owner, fuel prices, and product quality documents, as well as violations of urban planning norms, absence of fire extinguishing equipment, or selling fuel directly from tank trucks or cans in garages.