Russia Faces Fuel Shortages Amid Ukrainian Drone Attacks on Refineries

Russia is experiencing a significant fuel crisis characterized by gasoline shortages and rationing at filling stations. This situation has been driven by a campaign of long range drone attacks from Ukraine targeting Russian oil processing plants. In August alone, Ukraine carried out 18 attacks on refineries, matching the record set in July. These strikes have contributed to a 28 percent drop in output according to industry analysts and completely shut down the Orsk refinery.

To mitigate the shortages, the Kremlin has sought oil imports from various international sources. Russia recently purchased 200,000 barrels of gasoline from Turkey and has received 1 million barrels of fuel via Egypt from a refinery in India. Additionally, Russia signed a deal with the Kondensat oil refinery in Kazakhstan to process Russian crude, with 70 percent of the refined fuel intended for shipment back to Russia. Imports from Belarus also saw a massive increase in June compared to the previous year.

Data from the GdeBENZ service, which tracks fuel availability via crowdsourced reports from drivers, indicates that the situation worsened again in early August. Analysis of nearly half a million reports from July 4 to August 23 shows that long lines have formed at gas stations in many cities. While some regions remain unaffected, at least six regions have reinstated or tightened restrictions on gasoline sales. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak described the energy situation as constantly changing and stated that federal headquarters are meeting twice a week with regions and companies to monitor the crisis.