--- title: "Putin admits fuel shortages as Ukrainian strikes hammer Russia's refineries" description: "President Vladimir Putin has publicly acknowledged that Russia is facing fuel shortages, a rare admission of the toll taken by a sustained Ukrainian drone campaign against the country's oil refineries — and a sign that the war is straining the energy industry at the heart of Russia's economy." category: "World" category_url: https://newsparlor.com/category/world author: "Elena Castro" published: 2026-06-29T16:04:00.000Z updated: 2026-06-29T16:04:00.000Z canonical: https://newsparlor.com/article/putin-russia-fuel-shortages-ukraine-strikes tags: ["russia", "ukraine", "energy", "war", "fuel"] --- # Putin admits fuel shortages as Ukrainian strikes hammer Russia's refineries President Vladimir Putin has publicly acknowledged that Russia is facing fuel shortages, a rare admission of the toll taken by a sustained Ukrainian drone campaign against the country's oil refineries — and a sign that the war is straining the energy industry at the heart of Russia's economy. President Vladimir Putin has conceded that Russia is grappling with fuel shortages, telling officials there is "a certain shortage" — though, he insisted, "not critical" — as a wave of Ukrainian long-range drone strikes continues to knock out Russian oil-refining capacity, [CNBC reported](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/29/putin-russia-fuel-shortages-ukraine-drone-strikes.html). ## A rare admission Speaking at a meeting on the country's fuel supply, Putin acknowledged the disruption now visible to ordinary Russians. "There are still lines at gas stations," he said, [according to PBS](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/ukraines-drone-set-another-russian-oil-refinery-ablaze-as-putin-admits-fuel-shortages), while describing the problem as a "temporary deficit" that the government would overcome by importing fuel and speeding repairs. It was among the most direct acknowledgments yet from the Russian leader of how far Ukraine's deep strikes have reached. ## The damage The shortages stem from a months-long Ukrainian campaign targeting refineries far inside Russia. By various accounts, Ukrainian drones have struck most of Russia's largest refineries since the spring, and the country has lost on the order of a quarter of its gasoline-production capacity, with overall refining reported to have fallen to its lowest level in some two decades. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian forces had hit two more refineries over the weekend, in the Krasnodar and Yaroslavl regions, [The Associated Press reported](https://thehill.com/homenews/ap/ap-international/ap-ukrainian-strike-sets-fire-to-an-oil-refinery-in-southern-russia/). The figures are difficult to verify independently, and both Moscow and Kyiv have reasons to shade their accounts. ## Rationing and bans The strain has spread across the country. Many Russian regions have reported restrictions on the sale of petrol and diesel, and in Crimea — annexed by Russia in 2014 — authorities have at times suspended gasoline sales to ordinary motorists, [as RFE/RL has documented](https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-oil-refinery-fuel-shortages-kremlin/33787903.html). To protect domestic supplies, Russia has restricted exports of gasoline and aviation fuel and has weighed a broader ban on diesel exports — a notable step for one of the world's biggest energy exporters. ## Why it matters Energy is the lifeblood of the Russian economy and a major source of the revenue that funds its war. The refinery strikes, while they do not threaten Russia's vast crude-oil production, expose a vulnerability in the refining and distribution that turns that crude into usable fuel — and demonstrate Ukraine's growing ability to reach targets deep in the Russian interior. Putin maintained that the strikes had not affected Russia's military operations, a claim that, like much in the war, cannot be independently checked. What is clearer is that, more than two years into the full-scale conflict, the fighting is now being felt at filling stations across Russia.