How severe is Russia’s gasoline crisis? Meduza sized it up using exchange trading data.

Key Points:

• Ukraine's drone strikes on Russian oil refineries and related fuel infrastructure since early 2026 have caused significant damage, leading to refinery shutdowns and reduced processing capacity across major plants in European Russia.
• These attacks have disrupted primary processing units crucial for crude oil intake, with some refineries halting operations entirely, resulting in an estimated 40% of Russia's refining capacity being offline by mid-2026.
• The fuel shortage is reflected in commodity exchange data showing a sharp drop in gasoline and diesel trading volumes—down to 53% of January levels by June 2026—and a 37% year-on-year price increase.
• Russia's government responded by lowering mandatory fuel sales quotas on the St. Petersburg exchange and banning diesel exports, while also beginning to import gasoline, notably from India, to mitigate domestic shortages.
• Gasoline sales restrictions have spread nationwide in Russia, closely following the timing of Ukrainian strikes and the resulting production declines, affecting both independent gas stations and consumers across the country.