Russia's Petrol Availability Falls to 28% as Drone Strikes Cripple 54% of Refining Capacity
Updated
Updated · Euronews · Aug 17
Russia's Petrol Availability Falls to 28% as Drone Strikes Cripple 54% of Refining Capacity
3 articles · Updated · Euronews · Aug 17
Summary
28% of Russian filling stations had petrol available on Wednesday, down from 41% a week earlier, with queues reaching Moscow and AI-92 stocked at only one in 10 stations in the capital.
Ukrainian drone strikes have hit every major Russian refinery at least once, and damaged plants now represent 54% of national refining capacity; July petrol output fell to 75,000-80,000 tonnes against demand of 115,000-120,000 tonnes.
40- to 60-litre caps, QR rationing and odd-even plate rules now cover nearly all regions, while Putin again called the shortages "non-critical" even as the Kremlin ordered tighter price controls and opened 41 cases against oil companies.
30,000 tonnes of Moroccan AI-92 and sharply higher imports from Belarus and Kazakhstan have not closed the gap, partly because imported fuel is stuck in Murmansk amid a pricing dispute and Belarusian supply will tighten further in September.
70 roubles per litre is the official average after a 7.4% rise this year, but some regions report prices above 100 roubles; Moscow has also revived banned Euro-2 to Euro-4 fuels and detained residents who publicly complained.