Russia Imports Gasoline From Morocco Amid Shortages

Russia has imported about 30,000 metric tons of AI-92 gasoline from Morocco by sea, Reuters reported on July 31, citing two sources.

A Panama-flagged tanker loaded the fuel in Tangier in mid-July and began unloading at the Arctic port of Murmansk. AI-92 gasoline was seen being unloaded for rail transport in the Kola station, in the Murmansk port.

The Kremlin is doing the same with buying fuel from Belarus, Kazakhstan, and India after Ukrainian drone strikes damaged or disrupted major oil refineries. Russian authorities have also restricted fuel exports and gasoline sales in several regions, in some regions forcing Russians to use QR codes to purchase but a few liters of fuel.

According to available information, gasoline production had fallen to about 65% of normal summer consumption by early July, leaving a daily deficit of 40,000 to 45,000 metric tons. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said imports were needed to stabilize supplies as refinery shutdowns have failed to replenish the Russian market with needed quantities of fuel.

Interestingly, TASS reported saying that fuel deliveries to agricultural sector was gradually stabilizing and harvesting continued across all regions…

I am not exactly sure how that can be a thing or how these imports of fuel from distant countries can actually help, as Ukraine continues to show how ineffective Russian air defense systems are by taking out depots and refineries.

Less than 24 hours ago, Ukraine managed to take Lukoil-Volgogradneftepererabotka out of service, which had an approximate daily output of 300,000 barrels per day.

Six Russian oil refineries were reported hit within seven days. The Yaroslavl refinery was targeted on July 27, followed by strikes on the Perm, Ryazan, and Tyumen facilities on July 29. The Tyumen refinery reportedly stopped production after the attack.

On July 31, drones struck Lukoil’s Volgograd refinery, where a large fire broke out, and also damaged a refinery in Bashkortostan. These locations range from 250 kilometers northeast of Moscow to more than 1,500 kilometers from Ukraine’s border, showing the aftermath of Ukraine’s long-range drone capabilities.

This reminds me of the Kremlin pointing out soaring fuel prices in Europe as evidence that Western sanctions were supposedly backfiring in 2022.

Four years later, Russia is facing a far more serious supply problem at home. Refineries are being taken out one by one, gasoline exports have been restricted, and fuel is being imported to cover shortages.

Forty-ish percent of all refining capacity has been lost too. How is the Kremlin planning on stabilizing the fuel crisis if it no longer has the refineries needed to fix the demand for fuel in Russia? They are unable to repair their refineries due to Ukrainian attacks. The entire chain is collapsing.