Russia’s fuel crisis deepens as petrol supplies fall across country

A growing fuel shortage is affecting petrol stations across Russia, with petrol or diesel reportedly available at fewer than one in three filling stations.

Data from the GdeBENZ app showed that fuel was available at just 28.1% of petrol stations on August 16, down from 41% a week earlier, according to Russian media.

The shortages have been reported in a number of regions, including Volgograd, Chelyabinsk, Orenburg, Voronezh, Samara, Saratov and Rostov, as well as Tatarstan.

Officials in at least eight regions have acknowledged problems with fuel supplies. Residents in several other areas, including Moscow, Moscow Region and parts of Siberia and the Far East, have also reported shortages.

A check by Izvestia at 21 petrol stations in Moscow and the surrounding region on August 17 found that AI-92 petrol was available at seven stations, while AI-95 was available at six and AI-98 at five.

Analysts have linked the disruption to a combination of drone attacks on Russian refineries and unplanned maintenance.

Igor Yushkov of the National Energy Security Fund said continued attacks and unexpected refinery repairs had contributed to the latest wave of shortages.

According to S&P Global estimates cited by Russian media, at least 26 Russian oil refineries were affected by Ukrainian drone strikes between January and July. Seven had not yet restored production, while four more facilities halted operations in August.

Russian oil-refining output subsequently fell to about 3.6 million barrels per day, according to EA Analytics, before recovering to around 4 million barrels per day in August. Rystad analysts said the latest figure was still about 30% below the seasonal norm.

The situation could become more difficult in the coming weeks. Reuters, citing sources, reported that Russian authorities were moving petrol from other regions to Moscow to ease local shortages.

Fuel-market sources also told Kommersant that supplies could come under further pressure in early September, when one of Belarus's two oil refineries is due to undergo maintenance.

Several major Russian refineries are also scheduled for planned repairs.

The developments come at a sensitive time for Russia, where disruptions to refinery capacity have increasingly put pressure on domestic fuel supplies despite the country's status as one of the world's major oil producers.

By Aghakazim Guliyev