Russia faces fuel crisis after Ukrainian drone strike; Tatneft imposes restrictions
Russia's fifth-largest oil and gas producer, Tatneft, has limited fuel sales at its stations, setting caps of 20 liters of petrol and 40 liters of diesel per vehicle and accepting cash only. The move follows a Ukrainian drone attack on June 12 that triggered a fire at Tatneft's largest refinery, Taneko.
Tatneft, Russia's fifth-largest oil and gas producer, has imposed restrictions on fuel sales at its filling stations across several regions since Sunday. According to information provided by the company and cited by Kommersant, passenger vehicles are now limited to 20 liters of petrol or 40 liters of diesel, while trucks are capped at 200 liters. Payments are accepted only in cash.
The restrictions affect regions including Tatarstan, Udmurtia, Moscow, St. Petersburg, as well as Orenburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Voronezh, Samara, and others. In the Samara region, temporary limits were introduced at 19 stations of a local network, and authorities promised to resolve the shortage within two days.
The fuel rationing stems from a Ukrainian drone attack on June 12 targeting Tatneft's largest refinery, Taneko, in Nizhnekamsk. Following the attack and subsequent fires, both main processing units with a combined capacity of 43,000 tonnes per day were shut down. In 2024, Taneko processed 17 million tonnes of oil, producing 2.7 million tonnes of petrol, 8.5 million tonnes of diesel, and 1.3 million tonnes of petroleum coke.
Russia's refining sector is under significant pressure. According to Energy Intelligence data, daily processing volumes fell below 4 million barrels by the end of the first week of June – the lowest level in 21 years. Nearly one-third of Russia's refining capacity, approximately 2.14 million barrels per day, is idle. The publication 7x7 reported that as of June 10, at least 25 Russian regions were experiencing fuel shortages and supply disruptions.
