Ukraine is steadily expanding its campaign against Russia’s oil refineries. Fuel shortages are worsening across the country, with one Russian newspaper warning that the country is on the verge of a full-scale fuel crisis. What Moscow calls unplanned maintenance is now visible in inflation data as gasoline prices rise. Kyiv’s kinetic sanctions are increasing social pressure at home while constraining the Kremlin’s ability to fund the war. Reuters reports that at least 17 per cent of Russia’s refining capacity is disrupted. Offline primary refining reached a record 6.4 million tons in August, about 65 per cent above earlier maintenance plans, and Russia has been forced to curb throughput at some export terminals. Russian President Vladimir Putin has admitted Russia faces gas shortages amid Ukraine’s escalating strikes on energy infrastructure. Putin suggested that Russia should switch to coal reserves that “will last for almost a thousand years”.
Ukraine’s oil war threatens to leave Russia running on empty | Lowy Institute
