{
  "id": 4578589,
  "title": "Running on empty: Russia’s fuel shortage is here to stay and could get even worse",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/running-on-empty-russias-fuel-shortage-is-here-to-stay-and-could-get",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-31T05:25:37.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Insider",
    "slug": "the-insider",
    "url": "https://theins.press/en/economics/296530"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Fuel shortages in Russia are persisting, with authorities in multiple regions officially acknowledging the ongoing issue. Although Russian President Vladimir Putin downplayed the situation as mere \"inconveniences,\" a report by S&P Global revealed that Ukrainian drone strikes have crippled at least 26 oil refineries from January to July, with seven still offline. Four more refineries faced attacks in August, prompting the Russian government to extend its gasoline export ban for another six months, while diesel exports remain banned until the end of September. The strikes have significantly impacted refining capacity, with Ukrainian attacks having knocked out nearly a third of Russia's refining capacity, as reported by the Financial Times. Notably, Ukrainian strikes have targeted crucial components like primary refining units, catalyst units, and compressor equipment, aiming to keep refineries offline for extended periods. Despite repair efforts, the pace is falling behind the rate of new strikes, with Russian refineries projected to process only 4 million barrels of oil per day in August, down 5% from July and 2.5% from June, indicating a significant decline from its normal range of 5.3–5.5 million barrels per day. The prolonged repairs are attributed to the nature of the damage, particularly the reliance on imported components, which complicates the restoration process due to sanctions. Consequently, fuel availability on the domestic market has fluctuated, with some regions lifting fuel sales restrictions while others reintroduced odd-even sales due to ongoing refinery disruptions.",
  "summary": "Russia's fuel shortage has returned. Ukrainian drones are now targeting the hardest-to-replace components, aiming to keep oil refineries idle for as long as possible. Repairs are failing to keep pace with fresh damage, and the industry’s dependence on sanctioned foreign components is only compounding the problem. Oil refining in the country has fallen to its lowest level in years, while queues…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": "Russia's chronic fuel shortages, exacerbated by Ukrainian drone strikes on oil refineries, signal a protracted crisis that may worsen due to slow repair efforts hampered by sanctions and reliance on imported components.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}