Gasoline Began To Disappear From Gas Stations In Cities Near Moscow
- 28.09.2026, 20:07
Following the attacks on three key oil refineries.
Russian regions near Moscow could become the new epicenter of the fuel crisis following a series of Ukrainian strikes on key oil refineries that supply the capital, reports The Moscow Times.
During the week of September 19–25, the fuel situation in Kaluga deteriorated sharply, according to data from the “GdeBenz” service analyzed by economist Yanis Klyuge. In this city of 300,000 people, 40% of gas stations are closed, even though just a week ago nearly 80% of them were selling gasoline without disruptions or lines. There are lines at one in five stations, and there have been instances where more than 100 cars were waiting for gasoline.
Starting September 23, the Kaluga Region reinstated the odd-even system for gas station access, based on the first digit of a vehicle’s license plate. “Signs of stress,” writes Kluge, are also evident in Tula and Ryazan, where 40% of gas stations either have no gasoline or have lines of cars waiting for it. In addition, the situation in Vladimir has worsened.
In September, three key oil refineries supplying the Moscow region halted production following drone strikes: September 6—the Ryazan Oil Refinery; September 17—“Yaroslavnefteorgsintez”; and September 20—the Gazprom Neft Moscow Oil Refinery.
Among cities with populations over one million, according to “GdeBenz,” fuel availability is lowest in Nizhny Novgorod. The Lukoil refinery (NORS) located in the city was attacked on August 26 and halted production. According to Reuters sources, the plant is operating at reduced capacity.
St. Petersburg, where kilometer-long lines at gas stations formed at the beginning of the month following a strike on a key regional refinery in Kirishi, has resolved its gasoline shortages: as of September 25, more than 80% of the city’s gas stations were open and operating without lines.
In September alone, eight Russian refineries ceased operations due to Ukrainian attacks. In addition to the refineries near Moscow, Lukoil’s “Permnefteorgsintez” (PermNOS), Rosneft’s Kuibyshev Refinery, the Novoshakhtinsk Oil Products Plant, as well as the Syzran and Saratov refineries.
According to estimates by Rystad Energy, oil refining volumes in Russia have fallen to a two-decade low—about 4 million barrels per day, which is one-third below the seasonal average. During the first eight months, refineries were hit by drones on average once every three days, and of the 32 major Russian refineries, only five escaped such attacks. All of them are located in Eastern Siberia or the Far East, 3,500–6,500 km from the border with Ukraine, according to calculations by the International Energy Agency (IEA).