After attacks by Ukrainian UAVs on oil refineries, gasoline production in russia fell to 70% of total demand - media
Kyiv • UNN
Due to attacks on Russian oil refineries, gasoline production fell to 70% of domestic consumption. Moscow increased imports and restricted fuel sales.
Due to intensified Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries, gasoline production in the Russian Federation fell at the end of August to a level covering only about 70% of domestic consumption. The shutdown of major refineries deepened the fuel shortage and forced Moscow to increase imports of petroleum products, UNN reports.
Details
Ukraine continues to increase pressure on Russia through "long-range sanctions." In August alone, 18 strikes on Russian oil refineries were recorded. In particular, on August 28, Ukrainian forces used long-range FP-1 UAVs to attack the Yaroslavl refinery, which is among Russia's five largest plants by primary oil-processing volume. In addition, the Perm refinery (Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez) was hit last week; it lost about 86% of its processing capacity and is currently shut down. FP-1 long-range drones also attacked Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez in Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod region, which ranks fourth by processing volume. The plant's operations were also halted.
According to The Moscow Times, due to the strikes on refineries, gasoline production in Russia fell by the end of August to 70% of the average level of domestic-market consumption.
Journalists note that Ukraine is thereby attempting to limit Moscow's revenues. The intensification of attacks in August led to fuel shortages returning to Russian regions after a brief respite from late July, when local authorities in some regions began lifting or easing restrictions on fuel sales.
According to the publication, gasoline production as of the end of August had fallen almost to the same level as at the beginning of July, at the peak of the first wave of the fuel crisis.
Due to the shutdown of the affected oil refineries, gasoline output fell to approximately 80,000 tonnes per day by the end of August, while the average August production remained at 90,000 tonnes per day, or about 80% of the estimated consumption level typical for the summer period.
Thus, the emergency shutdown of major refineries last week brought the shortfall in gasoline production relative to market needs to approximately 35,000 tonnes per day.
Russia's Energy Ministry declined to comment to journalists.
At the same time, according to the publication, Ukraine's "long-range sanctions" forced Russia to increase imports of petroleum products. In particular, seaborne supplies from Asian countries in August will amount to approximately 270,000 tonnes, while gasoline imports from Belarus will reach about 150,000 tonnes, or 5,000 tonnes per day.
Overall, according to traders, Russia imported about 220,000 tonnes of gasoline in August, or an average of approximately 7,000 tonnes per day.
The publication notes that many Russian car owners are currently avoiding trips unless absolutely necessary because of the risk of spending time in refueling queues or being left with an empty tank. Various restrictions on retail fuel sales have already been introduced in many Russian regions: limits on sales per customer and sales based on the parity of the vehicle's license plate number.