Russia has banned jet fuel exports through November 30, its first-ever such prohibition, according to Russian news outlet RBC, as Ukrainian drone strikes batter domestic refineries and push output to the lowest level since October 2009.
Transportation Minister Andrei Nikitin told reporters there was no shortage of jet fuel and that the ban was introduced “based on the interests of our airlines.” An official government statement framed the measure even more plainly, saying its aim was “to ensure stability in the domestic fuel market.”
Countries holding active intergovernmental agreements with Russia are exempt, preserving supply to Central Asian partners, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, which Russia serves mainly by rail.
The backdrop is a Ukrainian air campaign of unprecedented scale. Ukraine carried out at least 16 attacks on fuel-producing facilities in May alone, per a Bloomberg tally of public statements from both countries, hitting eight of Russia’s ten largest refineries.
Total strikes on Russian oil assets reached at least 30 in May, the most in any single month since Russia’s full-scale invasion. The Yanos refinery, co-owned by Rosneft PJSC and Gazprom Neft PJSC, was struck three times. Lukoil PJSC facilities in Nizhny Novgorod and Perm were hit twice.
The cumulative damage to output is severe. Analytics firm OilX puts May’s average Russian refinery runs at 4.58 million barrels per day, down roughly 700,000 barrels per day, or 13%, from a year earlier. A separate Bloomberg figure places volumes at 4.69 million barrels per day. Both are the lowest since October 2009. Strikes have halted or curtailed production at facilities accounting for roughly one-quarter of Russia’s total refining capacity and more than 30% of its gasoline output.
Ukraine’s campaign has also grown more precise. Kyiv has shifted focus from primary refining units, which can be repaired relatively quickly, to secondary units, technically complex, higher-value, and far costlier to restore. Western sanctions block Russia from sourcing replacement equipment abroad, compounding the repair challenge.
Ukrainian drones have also extended their reach beyond refineries to export terminals, pipeline pumping stations, and fuel storage facilities. Kyiv has adopted a pattern of returning repeatedly to selected sites to prevent recovery.
The pressure is already surfacing at the retail level. Gas stations in annexed Crimea have begun rationing fuel despite a total ban on gasoline exports already in force through July 31. Diesel export restrictions were under consideration, according to Interfax. Diesel production fell roughly 10% in both April and May. Higher fuel costs have previously sparked public protests inside Russia, including in 2018, and have fed broader inflation.
Reduced refinery throughput has pushed Moscow to divert more crude to export markets in recent weeks, opening a window for buyers who lost access to Gulf supplies after flows through the Strait of Hormuz all but halted during the ongoing Middle East conflict.
Britain eased sanctions last month on imports of Russian jet fuel and diesel, citing consumer protection, following a U.S. sanctions waiver for Russian oil shipments already at sea. With summer travel demand building, Moscow’s battered refining network faces more strain before the November 30 ban expires.
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