---
title: "Fuel Collapse: How Ukrainian Strikes Have Plunged Russia's Oil Refining to Record Lows"
description: "Oil refining in Russia has dropped to a 21-year low due to Ukrainian strikes: 24 major refineries damaged, diesel export banned, and global prices hit record highs. 🛢️🔥"
date: 2026-07-13T20:02:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/fuel-collapse-russia-refineries-ukrainian-strikes
tags: [ukraine, russia, oil-refinery, vladimir-putin, diesel-crisis]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Fuel Collapse: How Ukrainian Strikes Have Plunged Russia's Oil Refining to Record Lows

![Fire at a Russian oil refinery with thick black smoke and flames, symbolizing Ukrainian strikes and fuel collapse](https://xab.info/media/2026/07/13/toplivnyy-kollaps-rossiya-npz-udary-vsu/toplivnyy-kollaps-rossiya-npz-udary-vsu-1.webp)

A unprecedented crisis has erupted in Russia's oil refining industry. According to analysts, oil refining volumes in Russia have fallen to their lowest level in the last 21 years. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that official data on the industry has been classified, although satellite monitoring and logistics reports paint a worrying picture.

### Record Drop in Capacity

Since the beginning of the current month, Russian oil refineries (OR) have been processing an average of only 3.91 million barrels of oil per day. This is a historical low since March 2005. For comparison: compared to the same period last year, production volumes have plummeted by more than 1.4 million barrels per day.

The cause of such a sharp decline has been a series of successful operations by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to Bloomberg calculations, about 50 attacks on Russia's fuel infrastructure have been carried out in the last 100 days. At least 24 out of 34 major Russian refineries have been hit.

### Export Ban and the Global Market

The fuel shortage within the country has become so critical that Russian authorities have been forced to take radical measures. An export ban on most types of diesel fuel was introduced until the end of July. Previously, the Kremlin had already restricted exports of gasoline and aviation fuel.

Since Russia is one of the key global exporters of diesel, the reduction in its supplies was immediately reflected in global quotes. World diesel prices have soared to multi-year highs. The situation in the international market is further complicated by disruptions in the supply of oil products from the Middle East.

### Impact on the War Machine

The consequences of the fuel crisis are already being felt on the front lines. According to the "ATESH" resistance movement, the Russian military command in southern Ukraine, due to a lack of fuel, is forced to limit the refueling of mobile fire groups and air defense units.

Gasoline production in Russia currently meets only about 65% of seasonal demand. The main reason was strikes by Ukrainian drones that disabled a number of the largest refineries. Despite Vladimir Putin's admission that Ukrainian strikes led to "certain problems with oil products," the Kremlin continues to assure that the situation is being stabilized. However, real figures say the opposite.