---
title: "Record $5.89 per Gallon: US Energy Minister Links Diesel Price Spike to Strikes on Russian Refineries"
description: "US Energy Minister Chris Wright attributed the record $5.89 per gallon diesel price to damage at Russian refineries and a shortage of global oil refining capacity."
date: 2026-09-07T08:08:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/record-diesel-prices-us-russian-refineries
tags: [us-diesel-prices, oil-refining, russia-refineries, chris-wright, energy-market]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Record $5.89 per Gallon: US Energy Minister Links Diesel Price Spike to Strikes on Russian Refineries

![Driver holding a diesel nozzle at a gas station amid record fuel price hikes in the US](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/07/rekord-cen-dizel-ssha-pererabotka-nefti/rekord-cen-dizel-ssha-pererabotka-nefti-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- The cost of diesel fuel in the US reached a record $5.89 per gallon.
- Chris Wright linked the price increase to damage at Russian refineries and a shortage of global oil refining capacity.
- According to Fire Point, the strike on the Ryazan Refinery knocked out more than 77% of its primary refining capacity.
- The US administration is considering measures to lower prices, focusing on increasing fuel production.

Against the backdrop of a record rise in the cost of diesel fuel in the US, Energy Minister Chris Wright publicly explained the reasons behind the price surge, pointing to systemic problems in the global oil refining market and, in particular, to damage at Russian refineries. The statement was made on CBS in response to a host's question about the record diesel price and the possible introduction of export restrictions on the fuel.

### Record at US Gas Stations

According to the figures cited during the discussion, the cost of diesel fuel in the US reached a record $5.89 per gallon this week. It was precisely this figure that prompted the head of the Energy Department to comment publicly, attempting to break the situation down into its components and explain why fuel prices are rising even without an extreme spike in the price of crude oil itself.

### Washington's Version: The Bottleneck Is Refining

Wright emphasized that the key factor was the serious damage to Russian oil refineries. In his words, Russia had previously been a major exporter of diesel fuel, whereas today it has not only halted its exports abroad but has itself become a major importer of gasoline. "It is global oil refining capacity that is the cause of high gasoline and diesel prices — even more so than oil prices," the minister stated.

### Strikes on Russian Refineries as a Trigger

The context for Wright's words is provided by data from the company Fire Point on the attack on the Ryazan Refinery. It is reported that FP-1 drones hit the rectification columns of the ELOU-AVT-6 unit with a capacity of 8.5 million tons of oil per year — the largest at the plant — as well as the equipment of the AVT-3 unit with a capacity of 3.1 million tons per year. Together, these facilities account for more than 77% of the primary refining capacity of the Ryazan Refinery, which, according to Washington's logic, directly reduces the volumes of finished fuel on the global market.

### Contradictory Data

Here the versions of the sides diverge. On the one hand, official Washington, in the person of Chris Wright, points to "damage to Russian refineries" as the cause of rising prices, without emphasizing who exactly carried out these strikes. On the other hand, according to Fire Point, the damage to the Ryazan Refinery was the result of an attack by Ukrainian FP-1 drones, and a number of Ukrainian business publications note that in the vicinity of US President Trump, Ukraine is directly blamed for the rise in diesel prices in the US. Thus, the same price dynamics is interpreted differently in the public sphere: for the American official it is a "refining problem," while for some politicians it is a consequence of Kyiv's actions.

### What the US Administration Is Doing

In response to a question about possible restrictions on diesel exports from the US, Wright stated that the administration is considering various options that could lower prices for American consumers, but is currently focusing primarily on increasing fuel production. Thus, against the backdrop of the record $5.89 per gallon, Washington is for now preferring to stimulate domestic production rather than introduce export restrictions.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Diesel in the US Sets a Record: Washington Points to the Consequences of Strikes on Russian Refineries](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/dizel-ssha-vstanoviv-rekord-ssha-vkazali-1788768362.html) - Подтверждает рекордную цену дизеля и объяснение Райта через ущерб российским НПЗ и мировую переработку.
- [Ukraine Blamed in Trump's Circle for Rising Diesel Prices in the US](https://delo.ua/ru/news/u-trampa-obvinili-ukrainu-v-roste-cen-na-dizel-v-ssa-471982/) - Даёт альтернативную политическую версию: в окружении Трампа Украину обвиняют в подорожании дизеля — использовано в блоке противоречий.
- ["It May Happen Even Sooner": US Energy Minister Predicts When and How ...](https://www.obozrevatel.com/novosti-mir/vozmozhno-eto-proizojdet-i-ranshe-ministr-energetiki-ssha-sprognoziroval-kogda-i-kak-zavershitsya-vojna-s-iranom.htm) - Подтверждено по источнику obozrevatel.com
- [US Energy Minister Wright: Venezuela Exports Three Times More Oil Than Before](https://1prime.ru/20260605/venesuela-870502650.html) - Подтверждено по источнику 1prime.ru

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What record diesel price has been recorded in the US?
**A:** According to the figures cited during the discussion, the cost of diesel fuel in the US reached a record $5.89 per gallon this week.

### Q: What reason for the price increase did Chris Wright name?
**A:** The US Energy Minister linked the price rise to serious damage at Russian refineries and a shortage of global oil refining capacity, noting that this factor affects prices more than the cost of crude oil itself.

### Q: What happened at the Ryazan Refinery?
**A:** According to Fire Point, FP-1 drones hit the ELOU-AVT-6 unit (8.5 million tons per year) and the AVT-3 equipment (3.1 million tons per year), which together account for more than 77% of the plant's primary refining capacity.

### Q: Will the US restrict diesel exports?
**A:** Wright stated that the administration is considering various options to lower prices for consumers, but is currently focusing primarily on increasing fuel production.