Russia has officially banned all diesel exports in a bid to secure its domestic fuel market following highly destructive Ukrainian drone strikes on its energy infrastructure. According to Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, the embargo covers all diesel exports, closing a loophole that allowed self-producing oil firms to sell fuel abroad. The ban is scheduled to remain in place through the end of July.
On Tuesday, a long-range Ukrainian strike successfully crippled Gazprom Neft’s Omsk oil refinery–Russia’s largest fuel processing plant–knocking its primary crude distillation units offline. At least four strikes directly hit the plant’s massive ELOU-AVT-11 primary crude oil processing unit, which accounts for up to 40% of the facility’s total production capacity.
Ukraine also targeted oil infrastructure near the Port of St. Petersburg earlier this week, bringing one of Russia’s largest Baltic energy hubs into the campaign after months of strikes focused primarily on refineries.
The current Ukrainian campaign is reportedly one of the most aggressive, with longer-range strikes now confirming just how far Ukraine can reach into Russia’s energy infrastructure.
The upgraded Fire Point FP-1 drones traveled over 2,500 kilometers to strike the crude oil processing unit at the Omsk Oil Refinery. By utilizing a redesigned wing that doubles as an additional fuel tank, the upgraded UAVs are capable of flying up to 3,400 km, making it one of the longest one-way drone strikes in the war. Ukrainian drones have now hit over 16 major Russian refineries and fuel terminals, knocking out over 30% of the country’s oil refining capacity.
Russia is currently facing a ~20% shortfall in domestic gasoline production, and plans to import up to 400,000 tonnes of fuel per month from neighboring countries to cover the deficit. Indeed, Russia has begun importing fuel from India with at least 60,000 metric tonnes of petrol having already been dispatched. The shipments have primarily originated from the Nayara Energy refinery in Gujarat.
By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com
More Top Reads From Oilprice.com
- Oil Prices Jump over 7% as Iran Ceasefire Declared ‘Over’
- Colombia’s Oil and Gas Reserves Keep Shrinking
- 63 Million Barrels Of Crude Stuck At Sea As U.S. Pulls Iran Sanction Waiver
