Russia Bans Fuel Exports Until The End Of This Year Kremlin Running Out Of Oil? What Happens To India?

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Russia on Thursday announced it is banning fuel exports to all countries until the end of this year as petrol pumps across the country as well as in the areas under its occupation are increasingly running dry.

Ukraine's drone attacks on Russian refineries have been stepped up in the recent months, prompting Kremlin to make the announcement and put an end to oil exports.

India, one of the major Russian oil importers , is likely to get affected due to the Russian fuel ban.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Thursday the country would introduce a partial ban on diesel exports until the end of the year and extend an existing ban on gasoline exports.

"We will soon extend the ban on gasoline exports until the end of the year, and a ban on diesel fuel exports for non-producers will also be introduced until the end of the year," Novak was quoted as saying by Interfax.

"This will allow us to further supply the market with petroleum products," he added.

Also Read | Is Russian crude the roadblock to an India-US trade deal? Why has Russia banned oil exports?

Russian officials had initially blamed the oil shortages on“logistical reasons” and said that petrol and diesel will begin flowing again. However, in the recent weeks, shortages have further worsened.

Deputy PM Alexander Novak admitted that there was“indeed a slight shortage of petroleum products” in Russia, according to the country's news agency TASS. However, he assured that it was“being covered by accumulated reserves.”

A wave of Ukrainian strikes over the summer hit processing capacity at several key facilities, pushing fuel prices higher and leading to shortages in some regions.

Also Read | Trump derides Russia with fresh 'paper tiger' remarks in meeting with Erdogan

The annexed Crimean peninsula is facing fuel shortages due to "a reduction of production volumes at Russian refineries," the local Moscow-backed administration said on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Kyiv hit a major Russian oil refinery in the central Bashkortostan region, sparking a large fire.

Russia running out of fuel?

According to the Izvestia newspaper, quoted by CNN, petrol pumps at several Russian regions have already started to ration petrol and diesel. They are allowing each customer to buy a limited amount of fuel, signalling an oil shortage in Russia.

Crimea seems to be the worst affected, the southern peninsula that Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

Also Read | Russia Black Sea Oil Ports Pause Loadings After Drone Alerts

According to CNN quoting news outlet Kommersant, half the petrol pumps in Criema have run out of fuel and are out of action. The situation is bad enough for the governor to admit the shortage, blaming it on“reduced production” at Russian oil refineries.

Social media videos and images show long lines of cars outside the few petrol pumps that are still running.

MENAFN26092025007365015876ID1110113892