Fuel rationing spreads across Russia as drone strikes cut refining capacity
Drivers across more than half of Russia's regions face fuel rationing after months of Ukrainian drone strikes knocked out about a third of the country's refining capacity, per consultancy Macro-Advisory. President Putin called the shortages not critical and said Russia may import
Anyone driving in Russia is feeling the war on the home front. Fuel rationing is now in force across more than half of the country's regions, with long queues at filling stations, even though Russia remains one of the world's largest oil producers. The cause is months of Ukrainian drone strikes on refineries, which have cut off roughly a third of Russia's refining capacity, according to Chris Weafer, chief executive of the consultancy Macro-Advisory. President Vladimir Putin has publicly played down the strain. He described the shortages as not critical and temporary, chaired a government meeting on the issue, acknowledged a difficult period, pledged to speed up repairs of energy facilities and said Russia would consider importing gasoline to cover the gap. He also dismissed ceasefire proposals and repeated that the war would continue until his objectives are met. The economic backdrop is tightening. A Gallup poll released in late June found 60% of Russians say economic conditions are getting worse, the highest reading in two decades of surveys, and more than half reported falling living standards.