Kremlin admits Ukrainian drone strikes trigger Russia's fuel crisis
Photo: Alexander Novak, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation (Getty Images)
The fuel crisis in Russia began due to drone attacks on Russian oil refineries, according to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak.
"We must acknowledge that there are problems and shortages in the fuel market, which are causing lines. In addition, some gas stations are operating erratically. The shortage has arisen for obvious reasons: our oil refineries are partially shutting down and undergoing repairs due to attacks (by drones—ed.)," Novak said.
This is not the first time that those close to Vladimir Putin have publicly acknowledged that the fuel crisis in Russia is the work of Ukraine.
Earlier, the deputy prime minister stated that fuel production in Russia had partially declined as a result of attacks on oil refineries.
"As a result of continuous terrorist attacks on civilian infrastructure, particularly the fuel and energy sector, many oil refineries have been damaged. Consequently, gasoline and diesel fuel production volumes have temporarily decreased," Novak lamented on July 8.
Incidentally, he recently claimed that Russia had built up sufficient fuel reserves to meet the needs of the domestic market.
Despite this, the deputy prime minister complained that panic-driven demand had led to an increase in consumption of approximately 20–30%.
According to him, it will take some time to restructure logistics chains to meet market needs.
The Ilsky oil refinery in Russia caught fire following an attack by the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
As of the end of June, Ukrainian drones had struck 8 of the 10 largest oil refineries in Russia.
Ukraine managed to shut down an oil refinery in Saratov, Russia.
