Russia faces renewed fuel shortages as Ukraine resumes attacks on refineries

Russia is one of the world’s largest crude oil exporters. It is now importing gasoline from India. That single fact captures the severity of what Ukraine’s sustained drone campaign has done to Russian refining infrastructure. A relentless series of strikes on oil refineries and fuel depots has carved an estimated 15% to 40% out of Russia’s domestic refining capacity, depending on the source and timing of the assessment. The result is a fuel crisis that has spread across nearly all of Russia’s 83 regions, with local governments resorting to rationing, extended queues at gas stations, and in some cases, temporary states of emergency. A campaign measured in hundreds of strikes Since the 2022 invasion, Ukrainian forces have carried out more than 300 drone strikes on Russian oil facilities. The pace accelerated sharply from spring 2025, turning what had been a persistent nuisance into a strategic chokepoint. Recent attacks have targeted critical infrastructure in cities like Omsk and Nizhnekamsk, resulting in casualties and further tightening an already strained supply picture. By early July 2026, fuel supply restrictions had become the norm rather than the exception across the country....