Ukrainian drone attacks on oil refineries have some Russian regions
running on empty
[August 27, 2025] By
KATIE MARIE DAVIES
Gas stations have run dry in some regions of Russia after Ukrainian
drones struck refineries and other oil infrastructure in recent weeks,
with motorists waiting in long lines and officials resorting to
rationing or cutting off sales altogether.
Wholesale prices on the St. Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange
for A-95 gas — the highest octane — spiked to record highs last week,
soaring to about 50% higher than in January, as demand soared from
farmers seeking to bring in the harvest and Russians hitting the roads
for their last big vacation of the summer.
Russian media outlets reported fuel shortages are hitting consumers in
several regions in the Far East and on the Crimean Peninsula, which was
illegally annexed from Ukraine by Moscow in 2014.
Media outlets in the Primorye region, which borders North Korea,
reported long lines and prices of about 78 rubles per liter
(approximately $3.58 per gallon) at gas stations in the area, where the
average monthly wage is about $1,200. Journalists at local news outlet
Primpress found other drivers trying to sell gas online for as much as
220 rubles per liter (about $10.12 per gallon).
In the Kurilsky district of the Kuril Islands north of Japan, shortages
of lower octane A-92 gas forced officials to halt public sales outright
Monday. In Crimea, a popular resort area, some companies sold fuel only
to holders of coupons or special cards.
Normal price increases are aggravated this year
Russia is no stranger to gasoline price increases at the end of summer.
But this year's shortages have been aggravated by Ukraine’s attacks on
oil refineries in the 3 1/2-year-old war. Larger, more concentrated
attacks are causing more damage and hampering production, all timed to
coincide with peak demand.
Ukraine has targeted energy infrastructure before, but the recent
strikes have been more successful, with more drones targeting a more
concentrated group of facilities.
“The Ukrainians are attacking an arc of refineries, starting from
Ryazan, which is south of Moscow, all the way to Volgograd. That region
is where people are driving through on their way to (resorts on) the
Black Sea. That’s the region where most of the harvest operations are
going on. And that’s also a rather densely populated region,” Sergey
Vakulenko, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, told
The Associated Press.
Between Aug. 2 and Aug. 24, Ukraine attacked oil infrastructure at least
12 times, according to media reports. Of those attacks, at least 10 were
targeting sites in the Ryazan-Volgograd arc in southwestern Russia.
These attacks have damaged many oil refineries but have not destroyed
them outright, Vakulenko said, adding that most of the facilities are
extremely resilient against fires.
But they can slow refinery activity, as shown by a fall in the intake of
crude oil to be turned into diesel, gasoline or other products by
roughly 200,000 to 250,000 barrels per day, said Gary Peach, oil markets
analyst at Energy Intelligence.
“That’s just enough to make their gasoline industry feel some pain,
especially during the high consumption months in the summer,” he told
AP. Gasoline production fell 8.6% in the first 19 days of August,
compared with a year earlier, and diesel production was down 10.3%.
Other war-related issues have caused even more consumer pain. Ukrainian
drone strikes repeatedly have disrupted Russian transportation networks,
particularly air traffic, causing more people to travel by car and
increasing demand for gas, Vakulenko said.
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A gas station worker refuels a car in Moscow, Russia, on Aug. 25,
2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)
 Inflation also has made it less
profitable for suppliers who normally buy gasoline early in the year
for sale in the higher-priced summer months, and many entrepreneurs
simply decided not to bother this year, he said.
Individually, none of these problems caused lasting
or widespread disruption in Russia. But together, they have
transformed an expected annual price fluctuation into a problem for
the government.
To try to ease the shortage, Russia on July 28 paused gasoline
exports, with the Energy Ministry hoping to continue restrictions
into September. Oil company managers have been summoned to
government meetings twice this month to discuss the shortages,
Russian media reported.
Moscow is largely spared from shortages
While officials appear to be concerned, the gasoline shortfall
“isn’t system critical,” Peach said.
So far, the shortage remains confined to certain areas — the Far
East and Crimea — because these regions usually are supplied by
fewer refineries and present greater transportation demands.
Moscow has been spared the latest gasoline price spike because it is
well-supplied from major refineries in Yaroslavl and Nizhny
Novgorod, cities a few hours’ drive away. The capital also has a
refinery in the city itself.
Yet Russia is not at immediate risk of grinding to a halt — even in
more vulnerable regions, experts say. Although private drivers may
feel some pain at the gas pump, most buses and trucks run on diesel,
for which Russia has a surplus. The military, which largely uses
diesel fuel, also is insulated from any shocks.
Vakulenko wrote in a recent commentary that annual diesel production
is “more than double than what is needed.”
That doesn't mean the situation still couldn't deteriorate.
Refineries that make gasoline for Russia’s domestic market also make
diesel and other products for export — a vital source of income amid
heavy Western sanctions.
Industry observers say Ukraine's drones target key refinery
equipment, including the distillation column that separates incoming
crude oil into other products, including gasoline, diesel, fuel for
ships and asphalt. If damaged, it must be repaired or replaced for
the refinery to function. Repairs could be difficult if foreign
parts are needed.
The gasoline crisis is expected to ease by late September as demand
subsides and the annual summer maintenance for many refineries is
finished.
Still, the crisis highlights a vulnerability on the home front that
has the potential to be exploited further as drone warfare evolves.
___
David McHugh in Frankfurt, Germany, and Joanna Kozlowska in London
contributed to this report.
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