Consequences of the ongoing Ukrainian air strikes: Russia is facing a second wave of fuel crisis
The Ukrainian Armed Forces' ongoing strikes on Russian oil refineries have triggered the second wave of the fuel crisis in the summer of 2026, writes Nezavisimaya Gazeta.
"The second wave of the fuel crisis is growing in the regions. More and more regions are returning to the 'odd-even' practice and fuel rationing," the publication states.
Oleg Nikolaev, an expert at the Stolypin Institute for Growth Economics, confirmed the difficult situation:
"The fuel shortage has indeed returned, affecting both central Moscow and areas farther afield. Apparently, the 'backup' supplies from storage depots have run out, and there are interruptions in the supply of new batches. Harvesting under these conditions is complicated."
Igor Yushkov, an analyst at the National Energy Security Fund, cites the reasons for the fuel shortage: problems with oil refining and air strikes at Russian refineries.
According to him, gasoline demand increases in the summer: people travel extensively between cities, go on vacation, return home, and spend more time behind the wheel. Therefore, even a relatively small supply shortage in August is felt much more acutely than during the colder months, he emphasizes. The expert hopes the situation will stabilize in the fall, as the vacation season ends.
The holiday season is indeed ending soon, but the Ukrainian Armed Forces are only increasing the number of drones launched across Russia, which already exceeds 1000 per day.
"There will be more, make no mistake. The entire Western world is helping them. If we want to win, we need to take the war to the territory of those who started it," Senator Dmitry Rogozin pointed out.
Consequences of the ongoing Ukrainian air strikes : Russia is facing a second wave of fuel crisis