‘We have to admit there are problems and a shortage due to the strikes,’ says Deputy Prime Minister Novak on Russia’s fuel crisis
Russia is facing a fuel shortage after Ukrainian drone strikes forced refineries to shut down for repairs, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told reporters.
“We have to admit that [in the fuel market] there are problems and there is a shortage, which is why we are seeing lines. Or sometimes gas stations are working inconsistently. The shortage [arose] for understandable reasons — because our refineries are partially going offline for repairs due to the [drone] strikes.”
The fuel crisis has been unfolding across Russian regions since June and is intensifying as Ukrainian drones knock refineries out of commission. All 10 of the largest refineries by installed capacity in the regions have been struck, including those far from the border — the Omsk refinery and the one in Perm Krai.
On July 8, Putin held a meeting devoted to the fuel crisis, at which Novak announced a ban on diesel exports for all market participants — in addition to the existing ban on gasoline and jet fuel exports already in place. The ban is currently in effect through July 31.
At that meeting, Putin said that Ukraine, through its strikes on Russian refineries, “seeks to damage the economy” and also to “create a climate of anxiety in society.”
At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.
If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at reports@meduza.io.
To read Meduza’s exclusive content in English, please subscribe to our newsletter.