Ukrainian drone attacks on oil refineries inside Russia led to a slump in the country’s gasoline production during the last week of March, the Kommersant business daily reported Thursday, citing official data.
Between March 25 and March 31, Russia produced 110,700 metric tons of gasoline per day, a 12% decrease compared to the average output in February. Likewise, diesel production was down 3.5% for the same period, totaling 231,000 metric tons produced per day.
Ukrainian drones targeted at least eight Russian refineries in mid-March, four of which have either partially or completely halted operations.
Reuters estimated that the drone strikes have knocked out around 14% of Russia’s primary oil refining capacity as of the end of March.
Many of the damaged refineries are expected to go back online in the coming months, Russia’s Energy Minister Nikolai Shulginov told reporters Wednesday.
Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said oil companies had been instructed to ramp up gasoline and diesel production “to avoid possible risks.”
According to Kommersant, the “psychological effect” of the drone strikes began catching up on gasoline prices this week after initially decreasing last week.
Belarus has expressed interest in filling the gap by exporting gasoline to Russia after halting supplies to its neighbor in recent years due to their unprofitability.