Ukrainian drone strikes are having an even bigger impact on Russia gasoline output than was previously the case. A new estimate by Reuters suggests output is down about 35% compared to the amount of gas usually used at this time of year.
Russian gasoline output fell to a level equivalent to only around 65% of the seasonal average consumption after Ukrainian drone attacks led to stoppages at large oil refineries, according to two industry sources and Reuters calculations…
Damage has caused operations to be halted at many oil refineries, including NORSI and Omsk, the two largest producers of gasoline in the country. Another large gasoline producer, the Saratov refinery, was also forced to stop production, industry sources said.
The sources, who could not be named because they were not authorised to speak publicly, said gasoline production had fallen short of the amount needed at this time of year, when summer weather increases driving demand, by between 40,000 and 45,000 metric tons per day, or around 35%.
In June, the daily shortfall was 25%.
If those estimates are accurate then the situation is pretty dire. There’s also a report out today saying that inflation is being driven up sharply by the shortages.
Russia’s inflation accelerated sharply in June after Ukrainian strikes on the country’s oil refineries triggered gasoline shortages and sent fuel prices higher.
Annual inflation quickened to 6% in June from 5.3% a month earlier, according to Federal Statistics Service data published late Friday.
The rebound may push the Bank of Russia to pause its easing cycle at the next policy meeting, which would be the first such hold since they began lowering interest rates in June last year.
There’s been some question about how accurate these numbers are. Swedish intelligence has suggested Russia is fudging the numbers and that the actual rate of inflation is more than double the official rate.
In any case, the situation is bad enough at the pumps that extra security is being brought to gas stations.
In a sign of concern that motorists’ tempers could boil over, authorities in the popular Black Sea resort of Anapa said Cossacks were helping keep order as cars lined up for fuel.
“They regulate traffic flow, prevent conflicts and attempts to fill petrol cans with fuel, and ensure that the queue is maintained in an orderly manner,” the city administration said.
Cossacks are a historic military and social community known for their distinctive uniforms and fur hats. By tradition, Cossacks protected Russia’s borderlands but have sometimes been used in recent years to back up the police.
So I guess this would be something like sending the National Guard to gas stations. I haven’t seen video of that yet but the long lines are undeniable.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Novak admitted that there are, indeed, problems with the fuel market in Russia:
“We must acknowledge that there are problems and that there is a shortage, which is why we are seeing lines. Or sometimes gas stations are operating erratically. The… https://t.co/emprJLM4nT pic.twitter.com/ldkV0iCeb3
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) July 10, 2026
And also the ongoing fights in those lines. I think this is a new one.
🇷🇺🇺🇦 This is how bad things are getting over fuel shortages in Russia.
Two men fight on the road while countless cars remain in a diabolically long line for gasoline.
It’s mildly amusing until you realize strikes are now testing the limits against Moscow while the U.S. slowly…
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) July 10, 2026
All of this is impossible to ignore for Putin’s chief propagandists on TV who find themselves in a difficult spot. They can’t be mad at Putin so they turn their ire against the companies for not better protecting their refineries and at military bloggers who are too comfortable and open about the problems this is causing.
State TV host Vladimir Solovyov takes a different approach. He constantly reiterates the need for censorship and increasingly harsh measures against those who dare to criticize the government or expose the extent of damage caused to Russia’s unprotected infrastructure by Ukraine’s retaliatory strikes.
During the July 9 edition of The Evening With Vladimir Solovyov, the host expressed his relief that school children in Russia will now undergo twice as many hours of basic military training, which will include field exercises and drone lessons.
The implications are clear: the war cannot be lost. It is existential and must be won through even greater effort.
So the war is explained as a seemingly endless fight “against Satanism,” with the Kremlin’s bullhorns blaming Europe for its alleged desire to tear Russia into pieces.
Multiple propagandists on various state TV shows are repeating the same line in unison: unless Russia wins this war, it will cease to exist.
Here’s the full video from Vladimir Solovyov’s show. He’s trying to channel populist anger at anyone but Putin.
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