Russia's gasoline production fell to about 70% of domestic demand by the end of August after drone attacks forced several major refineries to halt operations, Reuters reported Friday citing industry sources.
Output reportedly dropped to around 80,000 metric tons per day, leaving a daily deficit of about 35,000 tons. Refineries in Perm, Nizhny Novgorod and Yaroslavl were among those hit over the past week.
Fuel shortages have prompted Russian regions to reimpose sales restrictions, while Moscow has increased petroleum product imports. Gasoline imports from Belarus are expected to reach about 150,000 tons in August, with seaborne supplies from Asia totaling roughly 270,000 tons.
The Russian Ministry of Energy did not immediately respond to a request for comment from.
(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)