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Drone Strikes Cut Russian Refining and Push Gasoline Sales Down

Export bans and emergency imports are being used to shore up supply as refinery outages tighten domestic markets.

Overview

  • Reporting on Monday shows gasoline sales in Russia have fallen by about 20% as renewed drone strikes forced several refineries to reduce or halt processing.
  • The federal response includes a ban on gasoline and diesel exports, relaxed fuel-quality rules, and emergency imports to replace lost refinery output.
  • At least ten regions have reimposed controls on retail fuel sales, with some filling stations in the Moscow area running out of gasoline while diesel remains broadly available.
  • Reduced crude processing has cut seaborne product exports sharply, with industry data showing large month‑on‑month drops in July that reflect shrinking exportable volumes.
  • Traders are using ship‑to‑ship transfers and Asian cargoes to move product into Russia, a practice that raises sanctions‑compliance risks and could keep regional and global fuel prices volatile.