Russia has once again banned gasoline exports following attacks on oil refineries

The Russian government is imposing a ban on gasoline exports starting April 1, 2026, due to a critical decline in production and a sharp rise in prices. 

According to The Moscow Times, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak instructed the Ministry of Energy to draft a corresponding decree following a meeting with industry companies and law enforcement agencies. The official stated goal of the decision is to stabilize the domestic market amid global energy turbulence, but the actual cause was a series of successful drone attacks on Russian oil infrastructure.

In the past week alone, two strategic facilities have been shut down due to drone strikes: Rosneft’s Saratov refinery and Kirishinefteorgsintez (Kinef), the country’s second-largest refinery. At the Kinef plant in the Leningrad region, key refining units were damaged, and the timeline for their restoration remains unknown. Earlier in February, following a similar attack, the Volgograd Oil Refinery halted fuel production. The situation is exacerbated by the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz due to the conflict in the Middle East, which has already led to a 14% jump in wholesale gasoline prices in Russia and a 22% increase in diesel prices since the beginning of spring.

On the night of March 26, units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces struck the Kirishi Oil Refinery in the city of Kirishi, Leningrad Oblast, Russia.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine successfully struck a strategically important facility of the Russian Federation’s fuel and energy infrastructure. The target was the Bashneft-Ufaneftekhim oil refinery, located in the city of Ufa, approximately 1,400 kilometers from Ukraine’s state border.