Due to attacks by Ukrainian drones, gas stations across Russia and its occupied areas are increasingly running out of fuel, and Russia will ban fuel exports by the end of this year.

On June 10, emergency services arrived at the scene of a Ukrainian drone attack on a gas station in Belgorod, Russia

Kyiv first intensified drone attacks on Russian oil refineries, pump stations, and fuel trains, trying to disrupt the fuel supply chain during the summer when people drive more and demand is traditionally high.

Although Russian officials initially attributed the shortage to "logistical reasons" and promised that gasoline and diesel would resume supply, the shortage has worsened in recent weeks.

The Ukrainian Air Force said it attacked several Russian fuel production bases and pump stations this week, including a large refinery operated by Gazprom in Bashkortostan in southern Russia.

The export ban is the latest attempt by the Kremlin to address the shortage. Moscow first banned partial gasoline exports in March, then expanded the ban in July to all major producers.

On Thursday, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak announced that the embargo would be extended again, this time until the end of the year, with some diesel exports also being banned.

According to TASS, a Russian state news agency, Novak admitted that "there are indeed slight shortages of petroleum products," but stated that this was "being compensated by accumulated reserves."

Russia is one of the world's largest diesel producers, and its exports are a major source of government revenue.

The pro-Kremlin newspaper "Izvestia" reported that gas stations in several regions have started rationing gasoline and diesel, allowing each customer to purchase only limited quantities.

The situation in Crimea seems to be the worst, a peninsula in southern Ukraine illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.

The private, well-known business news media "Kommersant" reported on Wednesday that about half of the water pumps in Crimea have stopped operating due to the shortage.

The situation is so bad that even the governor imposed by Russia on the occupied Crimea has acknowledged the real reason behind the shortage, blaming the "reduction in production" at Russian oil refineries, although not mentioning the real cause - the war Russia has been waging against Ukraine.

Videos and images shared on social media show long lines of cars waiting at the few gas stations still with supplies.

Popular Telegram channels sharing local updates, "Crimea Wind", reported on Wednesday that Sevastopol, the largest city in Crimea, had completely run out of gasoline.

The report said that when two fuel tankers arrived at a gas station in the city, almost immediately a long line of cars formed. Within a few hours, the tankers were empty. The channel stated that gasoline is now priced about a third higher than last month.

"The hay hasn't been queued for, the horses and donkeys are stable," the channel sarcastically added.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7554185160627864105/

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