Russian regions report new fuel crunch as Kyiv hits refineries

Thick plumes of smoke with flames rise from an oil refinery following a Ukrainian drone attack, in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Moscow on June 18, in this picture obtained from social media. | REUTERS

BLOOMBERG

Aug 14, 2026

Several regions of Russia are facing fuel shortages again after Ukraine resumed almost daily attacks on oil refineries in the country.

The Orenburg region in Russia’s Urals introduced a rationing system starting Wednesday that allows sales based on vehicle license plates, limits gasoline and diesel sales per driver at the pump and bans the filling of fuel canisters.

That followed Ukraine’s drone strike Tuesday on the Orsk refinery in the region that’s some 1,500 kilometers southeast of Moscow, which officials said could take as long as six months to repair.

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