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Russia extends diesel fuel export ban until end of September (Photo: REUTERS/Alexey Pavlishak)
The Russian government extended until Sept. 30 a ban on producers exporting diesel fuel, marine fuel and gas oils, DW reported on Aug. 30.
The Russian government said the decision was made “to maintain stability in the domestic fuel market.”
A general ban on fuel exports from Russia is in effect through Jan. 31, 2027. For direct producers, however, the restrictions were initially set to expire Aug. 31 and have now been extended for another month.
Bloomberg reported Aug. 28 that Russia was facing a second wave of fuel shortages after a record number of Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries.
According to Bloomberg’s calculations, Ukrainian forces attacked Russian oil refineries at least 21 times in August, a record for a single month.
According to EA Analytics, oil refining in Russia is now at its lowest level in more than two decades.
Russia processed an average of just over 3.8 million barrels of oil per day in August, according to estimates. The country previously processed between 5.3 million and 5.5 million barrels per day during the summer, when demand is higher because of vacation travel and the agricultural season.
According to a source familiar with the data, the sharp decline in refining reduced gasoline production and supplies to the domestic market by nearly 20% year over year during the first three weeks of August.
Diesel production fell by more than 23% over the same period.
Ukrainian Defense Forces struck the Slavneft-YANOS oil refinery in Yaroslavl overnight Friday, Aug. 28. It is one of Russia’s largest oil refineries.
All of Lukoil’s major refineries in Russia have also halted operations following drone attacks.
The Russian government extended its ban on gasoline exports for six months, through Jan. 31, 2027, and extended its ban on diesel exports by one month, through Aug. 31, 2026.
Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil facilities in July reduced refining to 3.6 million barrels per day, the lowest level since May 2002.
Amid the fuel crisis, Russia began importing gasoline from India, Kazakhstan and Morocco.
The fuel shortage has also affected Vladimir Putin’s approval rating, which fell by a record 5 percentage points to 66%, its lowest level in nearly four years, since the fall of 2022.
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