Russia now importing fuel from South Korea, Turkey because of Ukraine drone strikes, report says

Russia has been forced to import fuel from an expanding list of countries, including South Korea and Turkey, due to ongoing Ukrainian drone strikes on its energy infrastructure, according to a report by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) published on September 11. The report states that oil imports surged to 172,000 metric tons in August, a significant increase of more than seven times the previous monthly high.

Moscow has also resorted to buying back gasoline refined from its own crude in India. Turkey is reportedly shipping gasoline to Russia for the first time, with cargoes arriving in September 2026. Ukrainian strikes on Russia's energy industry have severely impacted the country's oil production and exports, with Ukrainian military intelligence estimating that Russia can continue its war efforts through 2028 despite 40% of its oil-refining infrastructure being taken offline.