57 regions of Russia face gasoline shortages
12 October 14:08
At least 57 regions of Russia faced fuel supply disruptions after Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries, the BBC has calculated. Most of the problems were observed at independent gas stations. The publication took into account all cases reported since August, even if the situation on the ground has now stabilized, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
According to Bloomberg, the attacks affected every third oil refinery in Russia. At least 14 attacks were recorded in August, eight in September, and four more in the first ten days of October. According to an analysis by Reuters, Bloomberg, and S&P Global Commodity Insights, at least ten enterprises, including export-oriented ones, were partially or completely shut down in August-September. According to BBC estimates, since January, Ukrainian drones have attacked 21 of the country’s 38 largest refineries, a 48% increase over the entire year of 2024.
According to Reuters, in August, the downtime of Russian oil refineries’ primary capacities reached 23%, a record high in history, and in September it increased even more. In October, oil refining volumes fell to 4.86 million barrels per day – down almost 10% from July – and became the lowest in the last five years, Bloomberg reports. According to Sergei Vakulenko, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowed Chair in Russian and Eurasian Studies in Berlin, the productivity of Russian refineries has dropped by about 10% since the July peak.
Vakulenko notes that if the situation worsens, the Russian authorities have several options, ranging from imposing limits on fuel consumption to temporarily relaxing environmental standards for gasoline. However, according to him, “with the current level of damage, the refineries will be restored in two to three weeks.” The expert believes that the development of the crisis will depend on the intensity of Ukrainian attacks and Kyiv’s production capabilities: “How many drones can Ukraine produce, how often and massively will it be able to launch them, and will it continue to focus on oil refining or choose other targets?”
Amid a decline in refining and rising gasoline prices that reached a 14-year high, restrictions on single-handed fuel sales were introduced in a number of Russian regions, as well as in the annexed Crimea. To mitigate the crisis, the Russian government has imposed a ban on the export of gasoline and diesel fuel, increased fuel purchases from Belarus, and is preparing to start importing from China, Singapore, and South Korea.
