Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries have caused diesel fuel exports from Russia to approach their lowest level since 2020.

Source: Financial Times (FT)

Details: Since early August 2025, 16 out of Russia’s 38 refineries have been hit, some multiple times. The strikes have disrupted refining capacity by over 1 million barrels per day.

An idea has been floated in Russia to impose a complete ban on diesel exports by the end of the year. A petrol export ban has been in place for several months, although diesel sales abroad have not yet been restricted, the FT reported.

Diesel exports in September may hit their lowest monthly level since 2020 if the current pace persists, according to cargo-tracking data from OilX and Vortexa.

Meanwhile, there is currently no domestic shortage of diesel fuel in Russia, as production exceeds domestic demand by more than 50%, the FT notes.

Background:

Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia’s oil infrastructure, ongoing since early August, have affected oil product exports. Between 1 and 15 September, 3.3 million tonnes of fuel were shipped from Russian ports to foreign markets, 18% less than the same period last year and 16% below the July average.Reports indicate that Russia will likely be forced to cut oil production following Ukrainian drone attacks on key oil infrastructure facilities.Meanwhile, in August 2025, tankers subject to EU, US and UK sanctions carried 43.6% of Russia’s seaborne oil, according to the Monitoring Group of the Institute for Black Sea Strategic Studies.Russia’s shadow fleet, which Moscow has used to bypass Western restrictions on its energy sector since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, now makes up about 17% of all active oil tankers worldwide. At the start of 2025, the fleet numbered 940 vessels, a 45% increase from a year earlier, according to a study by S&P Global Market Intelligence.

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