Russia has been hit by a second wave of fuel shortages in August as petrol pumps ran dry across parts of the Moscow region.
Correspondents from the Reuters news agency reported on Monday, August 17, that petrol was unavailable at several filling stations in the Moscow region, although diesel remained accessible at almost all sites.
The Russian government acknowledged on August 14 that the fuel supply situation at filling stations remained difficult across multiple areas. Energy industry officials met to discuss supply disruptions in ten federal subjects, including the Orenburg, Lipetsk, Tver and Orel regions, as well as the Krasnodar, Zabaykalsky, Primorsky and Krasnoyarsk krais, and the republics of Tuva and Khakassia.
Moscow Oblast is the administrative region surrounding Russia's capital, while the affected territories stretch from southern agricultural heartlands like Krasnodar Krai to remote eastern areas in Siberia and the Far East.
Drone strikes on oil refineries
The latest crisis follows a previous wave of fuel shortages in July caused by Ukrainian long-range drone attacks on Russian oil refineries alongside a seasonal surge in consumer demand. While conditions stabilized briefly by the end of July, renewed Ukrainian strikes on refining infrastructure triggered fresh deficits.
According to figures cited by Reuters, Ukraine's campaign of long-range drone strikes had knocked out more than 30 percent of Russia's actual oil refining capacity and 45 percent of its nominal capacity by the end of July. Oil refineries process crude oil into finished petroleum products, including petrol and diesel fuel used for transport and industry.
Export bans and foreign fuel imports
To conserve domestic supplies, the Russian government decided on July 30 to extend its existing ban on gasoline and diesel exports for an additional six months.
Moscow has also turned to foreign suppliers to plug domestic supply gaps. Russia began importing fuel from Morocco on July 1 and increased its fuel purchases from neighbouring Belarus by 25 times. On August 12, petrol shipments from India also began arriving in Russia.
Belarus, a close ally bordering western Russia, and Morocco, located in North Africa, have become key alternative trade partners as Russia seeks to stabilize its domestic energy market amid ongoing military conflict.
