Russia's fuel crisis: Is Putin under pressure?
Ukraine's extended campaign against Russian energy infrastructure is disrupting fuel supplies and military logistics. With shortages mounting in occupied Crimea, is the pressure pushing Putin
Ukraine's extended campaign against Russian energy infrastructure is disrupting fuel supplies and military logistics. With shortages mounting in occupied Crimea, is the pressure pushing Putin toward negotiations? For several months, Ukrainian forces have been targeting energy infrastructure in Russian regions and on the illegally annexed Crimean Peninsula. Russian supply routes in the occupied territories, as well as key oil refineries inside Russia itself, have come under attack. In June alone, refineries in Moscow, Nizhnekamsk, Tyumen and Volgograd were struck. In May, a total of 16 refineries were attacked. As a result, gasoline production has fallen by 25%, Reuters reported, citing its own sources. Russia is currently producing only 85,000 metric tons of gasoline per day, while summer demand stands at 110,000 metric tons per day. "This summer, Russia appears to be heading toward what could be the worst fuel crisis in its history," experts at the US think tank Energy Intelligence said. Putin acknowledges fuel shortages for the first time On June 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly acknowledged "certain fuel shortages" for the first time. "There is some damage," he said in an interview on Russian state television, adding that all the damaged facilities are being repaired fairly quickly, and the problems are not critical. "Putin was forced to openly admit that the problem exists," Zavadskaya, a political scientist at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, told DW. "Most importantly, he identified the cause of the problem — Ukrainian drone attacks." According to estimates by the Russian business outlet RBC, 40 Russian regions have already introduced restrictions on fuel sales. According to the independent Russian news outlet Vyorstka, which analyzed official information and eyewitness reports, as many as 78 regions may be affected.
In many cities, long lines have formed at gas stations. Christina Harward, an expert at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in Washington, DC, said Ukraine had already attempted to strike Russian refineries in 2025. "What's different this year is that Ukraine has clearly scaled up the quantity of their drones and the quality of their drones. They've improved the range of their drones and, for the past couple of months, they've also been undertaking an effort to identify and destroy Russian air defense systems," Harward said. Christina Harward, an expert at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in Washington, DC Image: DW Attacks on Russian military supply lines At the same time, Ukrainian forces are trying to disrupt the Russian military's supply routes near the front line. According to Harward, the growing number of strikes on targets between 20 and 200 kilometers (up to around 120 miles) behind the front lines "is a new development from the Ukrainian side in this war." She says there are increasing reports that supplies to the front are beginning to slow. "We've seen reports that soldiers in the Huljajpole direction — east and west of the Zaporizhzhia region — are not getting as much fuel. They're not getting as much ammo. And they're not getting as much of all the other supplies they need," Harward said. She added that there are also mounting problems delivering artillery ammunition and even reconnaissance drones in the Donetsk region. Harward also noted that the Crimean Bridge, which has recently come under repeated Ukrainian attack, is a key supply route not only for the Russian military but also for civilians on the occupied peninsula. If the Ukrainians were able to destroy the bridge completely, "this would really cut off one of the main arteries that Russia has," she said.
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