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The fuel crisis caused by Ukrainian drone strikes on oil refineries has already spread to more than 20 Russian regions. About writes The Moscow Times.

At the end of August, gasoline shortages were observed mainly in remote regions of Russia – in the Far East and in the occupied Crimea.

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In September, the fuel crisis spread to other Russian regions, including Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Saratov, Samara, Rostov, Ulyanovsk, Penza, Astrakhan, as well as Tatarstan and Kalmykia.

In addition, interruptions in fuel supplies have been reported in the Amur, Magadan, and Sakhalin regions, Khabarovsk Territory, Yakutia, the Jewish Autonomous Region, and Chukotka.

Due to the fuel crisis, some independent gas stations in Russia's regions have already closed. Some operate only when fuel is delivered, while others do not receive shipments from factories at all.

According to Reuters, Russia has lost about 17% of its refining capacity (1.1 million barrels per day) due to drone attacks.

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In August, several large refineries in Russia shut down completely, including those in Volgograd, Saratov, and Syzran. The record amount of downtime reached 6.4 million tons of oil. In September, the Ryazan refinery, which accounts for 5% of the country's total oil refining, partially shut down.

This resulted in record fuel prices. The cost of A-92 and A-95 gasoline on the stock exchange has jumped by 40-50% since the beginning of the year and reached more than 80,000 rubles per ton. At the same time, demand far exceeds supply, with all batches being snapped up instantly.

The Russian government is trying to keep the situation under control by requiring oil companies to launch backup capacities, postpone plant repairs, and regulate fuel transportation. In addition, the ban on fuel exports was extended for another two months.