Russia Faces Escalating Gasoline Crisis asโ Droneโ Attacks Cripple Refining Capacity
Moscow – A severeโ gasoline shortage is gripping Russia, with widespread reports of stations rationing fuel or closing entirely, exacerbated by ongoing Ukrainian droneโฃ attacks targeting key oil refineries and deepening economic challenges within the country. The crisis is impacting both ordinary citizens and state-backed โservices, promptingโ concerns about broader economicโข disruption.
According to reports surfacing in early September 2025,access to gasoline is โbecoming increasingly restricted,particularly in regions like the โself-proclaimed Republic of Lugansk,whereโข fuel is reportedly beingโ reserved for civil servants with coupons. โThis โขsituation stems from โa significant reduction in Russia’s oilโ refining capacityโ following aโ sustained campaign โof Ukrainian drone strikes โฃthroughout August, which eliminated approximately 17% – or 1.1 million barrelsโฃ perโค day – of the nation’s refining capabilities, โขaccording to Reuters.โ
Several major refineries have โคbeen forced to โhalt operations โentirely, โincluding Novokuishevski, Saratov, Volgogradski, and Sisranian. In September, the Rida โrefinery, responsible for roughly 5% of Russia’sโข total oil refining, also โpartially suspended work. Independent fuel suppliers are alreadyโค feeling the โstrain. pavel Bazhenov, President of โthe Independent union of Fuelโค Suppliers, โฃstated that numerous independentโฃ gas stationsโ have been forced to close โdue to the inabilityโ toโ secure fuelโฃ supplies. “some do โnot agree โฃto work from gasoline to gasoline, โขothers have not been able to receive fuel โขfor a long time. โa โvery large part of gas โคstations can no longer receive anything from the non-processing plants,”โ he confirmed.
Adding to the supply issues are โRussia’s current budgetary constraints,โ which are making it unprofitable for โcompanies to โคtrade gasoline.Vladimir Omelchenko, Director of Energy Programs at โคthe Razumkov โขCenter, โexplained that stateโฃ subsidies intended to compensate fuel supply companiesโค for โselling gasoline at fixed prices are unavailableโฃ due toโฃ a budget deficit. “It is not favorable for oil companiesโข to supply and sell gas through the gas stations,” he said.Theโ situation โขraises questions about Russia’s ability to maintain domestic fuel supplies and potentially impacts its export capacity, โwith implications for its economy andโค ongoing militaryโข operations.