Reuters: Drone Strikes Have Left Russia Without Diesel Fuel

Half of Russia's largest oil refineries have cut production following drone attacks.

Half of Russia's six largest oil refineries sharply reduced their diesel fuel output or completely halted production in September following attacks by Ukrainian drones, according to the news agency Reuters reports, citing Russian traders.

The Kirish Oil Refinery (has completely ceased operations https://charter97.org/ru/news/2026/9/2/697019/), while the Volgograd Oil Refinery and the NORS plant are operating at about a quarter of their capacity. At the Taneco plant, which was attacked on Sunday, the consequences of the strike are still being assessed. As a result, diesel production at the affected facilities has fallen to a level several times lower than usual.

The attacks are exacerbating the fuel shortage in Russia and have already forced Moscow to restrict exports of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. According to the International Energy Agency, Russian refineries were successfully targeted on average once every three days during the first eight months of 2026.

Before the export restrictions were imposed, Russian diesel shipments fell below 1 million metric tons in June. A year earlier, this figure stood at about 2.5 million metric tons per month. Including gas oil, exports totaled approximately 1.8 million metric tons, compared with 3.3–3.4 million metric tons a year earlier. The largest buyers of Russian fuel were Turkey and Brazil.

The consequences are being felt even outside Russia. The average price of diesel fuel in the U.S. exceeded $6 per gallon for the first time. Ukraine, for its part, considers Russian oil refineries to be legitimate military targets, since they supply the Russian army with fuel.

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