Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
Ukraine’s long-range campaign against the Russian fuel industry is really starting to show.
Fuel restrictions in Russia have officially expanded to a federal scale.
According to research by the Russian media outlet Agentstvo, major gas station chains are now rationing gasoline and diesel across the country.
These networks control roughly a quarter of all filling stations nationwide.
The sweeping limits affect at least 7,000 of Russia’s 29,000 operating gas stations. Hoping to contain panic buying, the country’s largest market players are urgently slashing daily sales volumes. It is a desperate move following a heavy Ukrainian drone campaign targeting domestic oil refineries.
Drivers face varied rules depending on the brand. For example, Tatneft capped passenger cars at 30 liters of petrol or 60 liters of diesel per tank. Their cash desks are reportedly only taking cash.
Meanwhile, Rosneft and Bashneft banned customers from filling up loose canisters entirely.
Empty occupied zones
The crunch gets much worse near the conflict zone. In Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, local logistics have broken down completely under the strain.
“In annexed Crimea and Sevastopol, the free sale of gasoline has completely disappeared. At most gas stations, AI-95 fuel is issued only with special coupons and QR codes,” Agentstvo reported.
Further east, the situation looks just as grim. In the occupied Donetsk region, stations only open for a few hours a day because reserves are dangerously low. Other occupied areas like Luhansk and Kherson have slapped a strict 20-liter limit on every customer.
Striking the source
This domestic fuel crisis stems from aggressive Ukrainian tactics. Since the start of the year, Ukraine’s defense forces have successfully targeted more than 15 Russian oil refineries.
One recent strike ignited a massive fire at the Moscow Oil Refinery, which supplies 40 percent of the capital region’s petroleum needs.
The damage is substantial. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously stated that these long-range operations “effectively neutralized nearly 40% of Russia’s primary oil refining capacity as of May.”
The fallout has reached the skies too. Jet fuel prices jumped 41 percent since January, forcing airports across several Russian regions to ration aircraft refueling. Even after Moscow lowered environmental standards to protect the market, the taps are running dry.
