Russia Begins Importing Gasoline from Africa Amid Drone Strikes on Refineries

Russia, traditionally one of the world's leading exporters of oil and oil products, has now started buying gasoline from Africa. According to Reuters, a shipment of approximately 30,000 tonnes of AI-92-grade petrol has been delivered to the port of Murmansk, coming from Morocco's Tangier port.

The supply was arranged by Russian oil company Lukoil. The gasoline is already in Murmansk and is expected to be transported further by rail to other regions of Russia. This is a remarkable step for a country that remains a major producer and exporter of crude oil.

Analysts link this unusual move to regular Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil refineries. In recent years, those strikes have repeatedly disrupted fuel production, forcing Moscow to seek alternative supplies. Before this shipment, Russia had already imported gasoline from India and had bought fuel from Kazakhstan and Belarus.

Although Russia continues to be among the world's largest crude oil extractors and exporters, problems with refining capacity and domestic fuel demand have pushed it to look for additional foreign supplies. The situation highlights how Ukrainian attacks on energy infrastructure are now directly affecting Russia's internal fuel market.