Russia reports fuel shortages amid Ukraine refinery attacks

Russian authorities said on Friday that fuel supplies to service stations remained tense in several regions, as Ukraine continues long-range strikes on Russian oil refineries.

The Russian government said oil companies were taking measures to increase deliveries to vulnerable regions and that a meeting had been held on the shortages. It said Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, who oversees energy, ordered fuel prices to be monitored.

The statement followed the shutdown of a major refinery at Orsk in the Orenburg region, about 1,300 kilometres from the front line, after what AFP reported was a Ukrainian long-range attack earlier this week. Orenburg regional governor Yevgeny Solntsev said Thursday that the plant had been completely shut down and that repairs would take months.

Companies and drivers have faced repeated shortages in recent months during the war. Nearly every Russian region has at some point limited fuel sales or imposed other rationing, including bans on filling jerry cans.

Krasnodar governor Venyamin Kondratyev said petrol supplies at service stations in the Black Sea region had become complicated. He said oil companies had again restricted the amount of fuel supplied and reduced service station opening hours, causing concern among residents and visitors. Kondratyev said he had asked authorities to send more fuel.

Ukraine has targeted Russian energy sites with drones and missiles for months.