Russia Extends Gasoline Export Ban Through 2026, Imports Fuel as Ukraine Retakes 270 Square Miles
Updated
Updated · 19FortyFive · Jul 29
Russia Extends Gasoline Export Ban Through 2026, Imports Fuel as Ukraine Retakes 270 Square Miles
3 articles · Updated · 19FortyFive · Jul 29
Summary
Russia has prolonged its gasoline export ban to year-end and started importing fuel from Belarus and India to ease a nationwide shortage.
Ukraine’s strikes on Russian refineries, energy sites and logistics hubs drove the crunch, part of a campaign that has helped Kyiv retake 270 square miles this year.
The pressure is widening Moscow’s economic strain with lost energy revenue, budget gaps and growing difficulty sustaining occupied Crimea, where tourism has slumped and evacuation plans were drawn up for soldiers’ families.
Washington’s view of the war has shifted with the battlefield momentum: the Trump administration signed a U.S.-Ukraine drone-production framework and backed new sanctions that could further squeeze Russia’s energy trade.
Even so, the war remains grinding, with Russia losing more than 5,000 troops a week and Ukraine expecting Moscow to mobilize 300,000 to 500,000 more later this year.