Exports of Russian diesel fuel fell by 25%
18 April 2024 13:21
Amid drone attacks on Russian naphtha refineries, the volume of Russian diesel exports has been falling for several weeks. Bloomberg writes about this, Komersant ukrainskyi 
reports.
“Data from analyst firm Kpler show that shipments averaged 0.74 million barrels per day in the 10 days to 13 April. That’s about 25% less than the average for this time of year between 2019 and 2023,”
– bloomberg writes.
Now the country’s refining rate has fallen to an 11-month low, so there is a high probability that Russia will export more crude oil. Its flows have already increased, but there are practical limitations that make it difficult for Russia to export crude oil. These restrictions are partly related to the sanctions policy and the introduction of a price ceiling for Russian oil.
The day before, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin called on Ukraine not to attack Russian refineries. He said that such attacks affect the global energy balance, so Ukraine should focus on other, more military goals. Thus, the US top official directly confirmed the information that the US is calling on Ukraine to stop attacking Russian refineries, which appeared in the Financial Times on 22 March. The article stated that Washington had repeatedly sent calls to the GRU and the SBU to stop attacks on Russian refineries.
In 2024, according to various sources, drones struck as many as 13 Russian refineries. The total installed capacity of the attacked refineries is 178 million tonnes per year, but only eight refineries with a total installed capacity of 83 million tonnes per year suffered significant damage.
