Ukrainian Drone Strikes Cause Russias Worst Fuel Crisis Since Soviet Collapse With Spillover Across Former Empire

Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian refineries have cut domestic gasoline output to roughly 70 percent of consumption, with Reuters-cited industry sources putting August production at about 90,000 metric tons per day against summer demand near 115,000 tons 1. Kyiv Post reported a repeat strike on the Saratov refinery as the fuel crisis deepens 2, while NV cited Bloomberg data showing at least 21 refinery strikes in August, the most in any month of the war, and EA Analytics figures putting Russian refining at 3.8 million barrels per day, a two-decade low 1. The Atlantic Council reported that over 70 percent of Russian gas stations lacked fuel by late August, prompting export bans, fuel rationing in more than half of Russia's regions, and Moscow's first gasoline imports from India, with shortages also constraining Transnistria, South Ossetia, Abkhazia, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan 3. NV reported Russia's federal deficit reached 6.01 trillion rubles ($81.4 billion) from January through May as oil and gas revenues fell 29.8 percent, and that Vladimir Putin has publicly called the shortage "not critical" 1.