Russia Turns to South Korea for Fuel as Refinery Crisis Deepens After Ukrainian Drone Strikes

According to Oilprice.com, citing Reuters, in a report published Friday, August 7, 2026 (16 Mordad 1405), Russia imported about 30,000 metric tons of fuel from South Korea last month to offset supply constraints caused by continued Ukrainian drone attacks on its refineries. Ship tracking data from Kpler and Vortexa show at least two short range tankers carried diesel and some jet fuel from South Korea toward Russia's Far East, with one cargo already arrived.

An earlier Bloomberg report said Russian refinery throughput fell last month to its lowest level since 2002, at 3.6 million barrels a day, more than 30 percent below the seasonal average. Russia has simultaneously raised its crude oil exports, reaching more than 9 million barrels a day in July. Moscow has extended a diesel export ban imposed because of the attacks through the end of the year and has also restricted gasoline exports to supply the domestic market. Ukrainian drone strikes have also disrupted the flow of Kazakh oil through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, forcing Kazakhstan to cut oil production by about 50 percent last month.