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Russia Risks Fuel Crunch as Ukraine Intensifies Attacks, Temporarily Bans Jet Fuel Exports

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Amid relentless Ukrainian attacks against its energy infrastructure, Russia, one of the world's largest energy exporters, is reportedly staring at a fuel crunch.

The Russian government has banned the export of jet fuel as a consequence of that. A few exemptions for the ban included fuel in the tanks of aircrafts that were en route, batches of fuel placed under customs procedures, and supplies that were part of various intergovernmental agreements, the Kremlin's statement on Monday clarified.

With 16 fuel-producing facilities being targeted in May, the country's processing capacity is already at a 16-year low, according to a Bloomberg report, citing data.

Kyiv has targeted Russian energy assets to prevent Moscow from benefiting from higher oil prices amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. A few facilities that were hit in recent weeks included Rosneft PJSC, Gazprom Neft PJSC, and Lukoil PJSC, among others.

Ukraine has pursued a strategy of repeated attacks on plants and facilities, aimed at maximizing damage, while preventing quick repairs.

This has led to a significant drop in refinery runs, with average volumes dropping to 4.58 million barrels per day in May, down 700,000 barrels per day, or 13% from a year ago, Bloomberg reported, citing data from analytics firm OilX.

Besides the refineries, Kyiv has repeatedly targeted export terminals, and oil transportation infrastructure such as pumping infrastructure, further impairing the country's energy operations.

As supply constraint continue to mount, the Russian government imposed a temporary ban on jet fuel exports, until November 2026, in order to ensure reliable supplies for the domestic market.

According to Bloomberg, the country had exported an average of 30,000 barrels per day of jet fuel in 2025, making up less than 2% of global supplies. Exports slipped to 28,000 barrels per day during the first four months of this year.

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