---
title: "Fuel Crisis in Moscow: Kstovo Refinery Shutdown Hits the Capital's Fuel Balance"
description: "The shutdown of LUKOIL's Kstovo refinery following the drone strike deprives the Moscow Region of more than half of its gasoline supplies. Stockpiles will last 10–14 days, rail logistics are overloaded, limits are being introduced, and prices are rising."
date: 2026-08-27T07:42:19.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/fuel-crisis-moscow-impact-of-kestovo-refinery-shutdown
tags: [fuel-crisis, moscow, npz-kstovo, lukoil, gasoline-shortage, russia]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Fuel Crisis in Moscow: Kstovo Refinery Shutdown Hits the Capital's Fuel Balance

![Illustration of the Moscow fuel crisis: a fuel nozzle, warning sign and falling fuel-reserve charts against the backdrop of the Kstovo refinery shutdown](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/27/deficit-benzina-moskva-posledstviya-ostanovki-npz-kstovo/deficit-benzina-moskva-posledstviya-ostanovki-npz-kstovo-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- The Kstovo refinery covered over 50% of Moscow and the Moscow Region's gasoline demand and up to 11% of Russia's Euro-5 production.
- Oil depot stockpiles last 10–14 days; rail substitution is hampered by a shortage of tank cars and Russian Railways congestion.
- Dispensing limits are being introduced (40 liters in Chuvashia), a shortage of wholesale lots is recorded at SPbMTSB, and Russia is importing gasoline from Africa.

The drone strike on the Kstovo refinery of "LUKOIL-Nizhny Novgorodnefteorgsintez" (NORSI) has disrupted fuel supplies across the Central Federal District. According to analyst estimates, the plant covered more than 50% of Moscow and the Moscow Region's demand for commercial gasoline and up to 11% of Russia's total Euro-5 fuel production, with deliveries routed via the direct ring petroleum pipeline (MKNPP), which made logistics cheap and fast.

### What is happening at gas stations

Operational stockpiles at the Moscow Region's oil depots are calculated to support 10–14 days of autonomous operation. Attempts to redirect volumes from the Omsk refinery and the Ufa group are hampered by a shortage of tank cars and congestion on the Russian Railways network. Independent chains are already recording a shortage of wholesale lots at SPbMTSB; "LUKOIL" is introducing dispensing limits — in Chuvashia the norm has been raised to 40 liters, indicating the systemic nature of the restrictions.

### Contradictory data

The figures on NORSI's share in supplying the capital (over 50% and up to 11% of Euro-5) are estimates by RBC-Ukraine analysts and industry sources, not official "LUKOIL" data, which the company does not confirm. Specific limits for Moscow are not named in open sources — only the norm for Chuvashia (40 liters) is known, so the exact scale of restrictions in the capital remains unconfirmed.

### Context of the shortage

The problem extends beyond a single region: according to Reuters, Russia has begun importing gasoline from Africa against the backdrop of a general fuel shortage. The combination of the strike on Kstovo, overloaded rail logistics, and simultaneous damage to other refineries creates a risk of rising prices at the pump and a shift to coupon-based dispensing in the capital region.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Drones "wrecked" one of Russia's largest refineries (photos, video)](https://www.unian.net/war/drony-atakovali-kstovskiy-npz-odin-iz-krupneyshih-obektov-lukoyla-foto-video-13428639.html) - Подтверждает удар дронами по Кстовскому НПЗ «ЛУКОЙЛа».
- [Strike on a LUKOIL giant: one of the most powerful refineries, which supplied the army, is ablaze in Russia](https://glavred.info/war/udar-po-gigantu-lukoyla-v-rf-polyhaet-odin-iz-moshchneyshih-npz-snabzhavshiy-armiyu-10777355.html) - Подтверждает масштаб повреждения и роль завода в снабжении.
- [Russia has begun importing gasoline from Africa against the backdrop of a fuel shortage, – Reuters](https://www.unian.net/economics/energetics/deficit-topliva-usugublyaetsya-rossiya-nachala-importirovat-benzin-iz-afriki-13457142.html) - Подтверждает удар дронами по Кстовскому НПЗ «ЛУКОЙЛа».
- ["LUKOIL" raised the fuel dispensing limit in Chuvashia to 40 liters](https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/8832983) - Подтверждает введение лимитов «ЛУКОЙЛа»; конкретный лимит для Москвы не указан.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: How much gasoline for Moscow did the Kstovo refinery produce?
**A:** According to analyst estimates, the plant covered more than 50% of the Moscow Region's demand for commercial gasoline and up to 11% of Russia's total Euro-5 fuel production. "LUKOIL" does not officially confirm these figures.

### Q: How many days will Moscow's stockpiles last?
**A:** Operational stockpiles at the Moscow Region's oil depots are sufficient for 10–14 days of autonomous operation.

### Q: Can supplies be quickly replaced from other plants?
**A:** Rapid substitution is difficult: railway lines are overloaded, tank cars are in short supply, and other refineries in the European part of the Russian Federation also have damage.

### Q: Are limits being introduced at gas stations?
**A:** Yes, "LUKOIL" is introducing dispensing limits — in Chuvashia the norm is 40 liters; the exact limit for Moscow has not been published in open sources.