Recent Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries have forced several facilities to suspend operations for maintenance.

In response, Moscow has periodically introduced restrictions to stabilise fuel supplies. Fuel-sale limits have also been imposed in several Russian regions and in Crimea, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014.

Earlier last month, Ukraine’s General Staff claimed that its forces had struck 16 major Russian oil refineries and fuel terminals, putting more than 30 percent of Russia’s refining capacity out of operation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that they have begun drawing on their fuel reserves as Ukrainian attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure intensify.

Putin also noted that Moscow is considering a ban on diesel exports, after already imposing temporary restrictions on gasoline and jet fuel exports “in the interests of domestic consumers”.

This is despite the fact that Russia is one of the world’s largest oil producers, accounting for 9-10 million barrels per day, ranking third globally behind the United States and Saudi Arabia.

Perhaps for the first time, Muscovites, along with the residents of other major Russian cities, are beginning to feel the direct consequences of the war on this scale.

Besides, for a country whose economy is already under severe strain, the fuel-export restrictions raise a serious question: how long can Russia sustain a war effort that depends heavily on energy revenues, which constitute around 25 percent of its federal........

© The Frontier Post