Kazakh oil refinery to process Russian crude, send fuel back to Russia amid shortage
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An oil refinery in Kazakhstan is set to process Russian crude and send 70% of its diesel and gasoline output back to Russia amid shortages as a result of Ukrainian attacks, Kazakh Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov said Aug. 25.
Ukraine has sustained attacks on Russian infrastructure including oil refineries, oil depots, and transport infrastructure in recent months, leading to fuel shortages in the country as Russia continues to wage its war.
The Kondensat oil refinery, located in western Kazakhstan, has a 50% stake under Russian ownership, and Russia's Energy Ministry informed its Kazakh counterpart of the plans, Akkenzhenov said, according to Kazakh outlet Kapital.
"I don't see any obstacles. Because 30% of the gasoline and diesel fuel produced will remain in Kazakhstan, and the rest will go to the Russian Federation. We reached this agreement. As far as I understand, there are no sanctions," he said at a press briefing.
Although Akkenzhenov said that the Russian companies involved have not been sanctioned, Ukraine and its allies regularly introduce new sanctions packages in an effort to hinder Russia's war effort.
Ukraine also continues to target Russian infrastructure.
Overnight the same day, Ukrainian drones targeted the Afipsky Oil Refinery, one of the largest oil processing facilities in southern Russia, Russian Telegram channels reported.
In Russia's Omsk Oblast, which borders Kazakhstan, Ukrainian forces struck a major oil refinery in the city of Omsk, nearly 2,500 kilometers (around 1,550 miles) from Ukraine's border on July 6, Ukraine's General Staff said.
The Omsk refinery is Russia's largest by refining capacity, processing more than 21 million metric tons of crude oil per year, according to the General Staff.
