Russia said some oil refineries have resumed operations after repairs, a small but important shift as it tries to steady a fuel system hit by shortages of gasoline and diesel. Alexander Novak said several refineries are already back in operation, and the government is expecting those repairs to raise supplies on the domestic market.
The timing matters because the country has been living with a fuel crunch since the spring. Ukraine intensified drone attacks on Russian refineries then, and the hits have become a near-daily problem, forcing many large processing sites offline in the spring and summer. On Monday, Novak said the picture is changing every day, and that officials are meeting federal headquarters, regions and companies twice a week to keep track of repairs and supplies.
That is why traders and drivers are watching the export picture so closely. Russia has had fuel rationing in many regions, gas stations in big cities have run out of fuel, and shortages have stretched on for over three months. Moscow has also extended restrictions on diesel exports, while Russia's diesel and gasoil exports have crashed this month to the lowest in many years. The pressure has pushed Russia to turn to South Korea and India for fuel imports, a sign of how far the balance has shifted from exporter to buyer.
The promise of more supply, though, is colliding with the reality on the ground. Novak said the repaired refineries should lift available volumes, but he also described a market that is still changing every day, which suggests the fix is not yet broad enough to end rationing or clear empty pumps. The refinery strikes have reached sites deep inside Russian territory, more than 1,000 miles from the border with Ukraine, and that distance has not kept them from hitting the fuel chain where it hurts most.
For now, the key question is not whether repairs matter, but how fast they can outpace damage, shortages and export curbs. If the refineries keep coming back online, domestic supply should improve. If the attacks keep arriving nearly every day, the export squeeze and the shortages could keep feeding each other.
