Russia's fuel shortages ease as Ukraine faces Trump pressure to halt refinery strikes
on Google
Russian regions began lifting restrictions on gasoline sales at gas stations after Ukraine sharply slowed attacks on Russian oil refineries amid pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Free fuel sales resumed in 15 regions in October, including occupied Crimea and Sevastopol, where conditions were the most dire, Russian state-aligned newspaper Izvestia reported on Oct. 29.
Fuel shortages in Russia escalated in mid-summer as Ukrainian strikes disrupted the country's oil refineries, leading to long lines at gas stations and restrictions on fuel purchases.
The attacks targeted a key source of revenue for the Russian state budget.
Kyiv faced repeated pressure to halt strikes on Russian oil facilities. Trump has falsely blamed Ukrainian attacks, rather than his war against Iran, for high global fuel prices.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine halted attacks on Russian oil refineries for three days after Trump unilaterally declared an energy truce between Ukraine and Russia on Oct. 11. Russia, however, continued striking Ukrainian energy infrastructure during the "truce."
Although Zelensky said Ukrainian forces had not been ordered to refrain from attacking Russian refineries, the pace of the strikes slowed sharply in recent weeks. The most recent attacks occurred at the Ryazan refinery on Oct. 15 and in St. Petersburg on Oct. 18.
Fuel restrictions remain in place in some Russian regions. In Tambov Oblast, authorities still limit the amount of fuel an individual can purchase and prohibit filling jerry cans. Some districts in Leningrad Oblast continue to experience fuel supply difficulties.
As Trump pressed Kyiv to stop striking Russian refineries, Ukraine also faced what Ukrainian officials believed was a pressure campaign from Washington.
The country experienced disruptions to its early-warning systems for incoming Russian ballistic missiles, which rely on U.S. intelligence, as well as restrictions on Starlink's military-grade service, which Ukraine uses to operate interceptor drones against Russian attack drones.
Russia has continued attacking Ukrainian energy facilities.
Despite the pressure from Washington, most Ukrainians want Kyiv to continue striking Russian refineries even if the U.S. threatens to end or reduce its support, according to the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) poll released on Oct. 28.
