Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak stated that the country's fuel crisis is gradually stabilizing as several oil refineries have resumed operations. Despite improvements, some regions, particularly in Siberia, remain tense, with manual federal intervention addressing supply issues. The shortages stemmed from Ukraine's drone attacks on refineries and export terminals.
The easing of Russia's fuel crisis, driven by refinery restarts, could alleviate pressure on domestic supply and potentially impact global fuel markets. However, ongoing regional tensions and the continued threat of Ukrainian attacks on energy infrastructure highlight the fragility of the situation.
Russia's fuel crisis is beginning to subside as several oil refineries have resumed operations, according to Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak. The situation is gradually stabilizing, with improved fuel availability at stations, particularly for agricultural producers.
Despite the overall easing, Novak acknowledged that some regions, especially in Siberia, remain tense. Federal headquarters are manually addressing fuel supply issues in these areas, indicating a temporary nature to the crisis.
The country has faced gasoline and diesel shortages for over two months, largely due to Ukraine's persistent drone campaign targeting Russian refineries since spring. This offensive has forced numerous large processing sites offline.
In an effort to preserve domestic supply, Russia banned diesel exports earlier this month, which has had a ripple effect on the global diesel market. Ukraine has also expanded its offensive to target Russia-linked vessels in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea, hitting over a hundred vessels with drones.
Recent Ukrainian attacks have also impacted Russian oil export terminals on the Black Sea. The Sheskharis terminal in Novorossiysk and the neighboring Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal have gone offline. The suspension of CPC terminal loadings has led to Kazakhstan cutting oil production, with output at Chevron's Tengiz field reportedly falling significantly as storage filled and producers reduced pipeline flows.