Kazakhstan in talks to process Russian crude at its own refineries

Kazakhstan's Energy Ministry said the country is in talks with Moscow to process Russian crude at Kazakh refineries, under a plan in which some of the resulting fuel would be sold on Kazakhstan's domestic market and a portion sent back across the border to Russia. The news was reported on Thursday 30 July 2026.

No volumes, commercial terms or specific refineries have been named, and Kazakhstan's Energy Ministry said market participants would decide where the products go. The ministry has also not said how much spare capacity it holds or how much fuel could be returned to Russia. Kazakhstan had already begun supplying some refined products to Russia.

The backdrop is a sharp fall in Russian refining capacity. Russia's operating refining capacity is now estimated at about 3.91 million barrels per day, roughly 1.4 million barrels, or 26%, below the year-earlier average, following Ukrainian strikes on refining facilities including the Omsk refinery, Russia's largest, located close to the Kazakh border.