Putin Says Ukrainian Strikes on Oil Refineries Have No Effect on War; Meeting Convened Over Fuel Crisis
Russian President Vladimir Putin told a government meeting that Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries are not affecting the war, even though the meeting was called to address the fuel crisis those strikes helped create.
Vladimir Putin chaired a government meeting where officials briefed him on fuel shortages spreading across Russia’s regions and occupied Crimea. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak sought to reassure the public, calling the situation in the domestic market “difficult but manageable” and attributing supply problems to “logistical issues that periodically arise in certain regions and at certain gas stations.”
Novak outlined the government’s response: beyond the current ban on gasoline and jet fuel exports, a “complete ban on diesel fuel exports” was under consideration; refinery capacity across Russia had been increased, maintenance timelines shortened, and scheduled repairs postponed; occupied Crimea and Sevastopol, border regions, the Far East, and Kaliningrad were receiving “special attention” from authorities.
Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin said the government had introduced additional measures to protect transportation links between occupied Crimea and Russia, without specifying what those measures entailed. The authorities also announced measures to support the tourism industry and said they planned to help utilities prepare for winter.
Putin attributed Ukraine’s intensified strikes on Russian rear areas to what he claimed was Kyiv’s attempt to offset losses at the front and strengthen its position at the negotiating table. He called on the Defense Ministry, the government, and regional authorities to “work steadily” under the threat of Ukrainian strikes and to minimize those threats. Putin said Kyiv’s “terrorist attacks” would have no effect on the situation at the front.
Ukraine has stepped up strikes on industrial facilities and oil refineries behind Russian lines. The attacks drove Russia’s gasoline production down by roughly 25 percent from June 15 to 21 compared to the average daily output in June 2025, according to Reuters data. The strikes have fed a fuel crisis spreading across Russian regions and into occupied Crimea.
