Ukrainian drone strikes, which attacked at least six Russian oil and gas infrastructure facilities in January, have hit the exports of major Russian oil companies.

According to the results of the first month of 2024, Russian oil companies reduced exports of gasoline abroad by 37%, the Russian Ministry of Energy reported. Sales of diesel fuel, the largest export article of petroleum products, collapsed by 23%. The reduction in exports was the result of "unscheduled repairs" at refineries and the need to supply the domestic market, the ministry explained.

If the attacks continue with the current intensity, "the inconvenience may turn into a problem," said Sergey Vakulenko, a visiting fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He noted that refineries "are important for the economy and for waging war as cars and trucks, tractors and combines, tanks and ships, civilian and military aircraft must be fueled with gasoline, diesel and kerosene, not with crude oil." Anton Geraschenko