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Russia Begins Fuel Imports Following Strikes on Refineries

Russia has begun importing gasoline following Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries and fuel depots that caused domestic shortages.

Published August 20, 2026 at 8:00 PM EDT

The short answer

Russia has begun importing gasoline following Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries and fuel depots that caused domestic shortages. Russia has started importing fuel to address domestic supply gaps. The decision to bring in gasoline follows a series of Ukrainian military strikes targeting Russian energy infrastructure.

Russia Begins Fuel Imports Following Strikes on Refineries

The Facts

Who
The Russian government and Ukrainian military forces.
What
Russia has started importing fuel due to shortages caused by Ukrainian strikes on its refineries and depots.
When
August 21, 2026
Where
Russia
Why
Ukrainian strikes on energy infrastructure created shortages that necessitated the importation of gasoline.

Russia has started importing fuel to address domestic supply gaps. The decision to bring in gasoline follows a series of Ukrainian military strikes targeting Russian energy infrastructure.

The shortages emerged after Ukrainian forces conducted strikes on various Russian oil refineries and storage depots. These facilities are critical to the processing and distribution of fuel within the country.

While the source confirms the start of imports due to these infrastructure damages, it did not specify the volume of fuel being imported or which countries are supplying the gasoline. The specific locations of the refineries and depots affected by the strikes were also not detailed in the report.

The scale of the impact involves the Russian energy grid and its refining capacity, which has been directly targeted by Ukrainian military operations. Because the source does not list specific ruble or dollar amounts, the exact financial cost to the Russian state or the individual consumer remains unknown at this time. The duration of these imports will likely depend on the speed of repairs to the damaged facilities and the frequency of future strikes.

The knock-on effects include potential changes to global energy market flows as Russia redirects its resources and seeks external supplies. This development sets a precedent for how sustained attacks on energy infrastructure can force a major oil-producing nation to seek outside aid. What happens next depends on the Russian government's ability to secure long-term import contracts or restore its refining capabilities; however, no specific dates for repairs or deadlines for ending imports were reported.

Summaries are written by The Plain Record to state the facts of a story plainly and without political slant. See our editorial standards, or report a correction.

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Questions readers ask

What happened: Russia Begins Fuel Imports Following Strikes on Refineries?

Russia has started importing fuel due to shortages caused by Ukrainian strikes on its refineries and depots.

Who is involved?

The Russian government and Ukrainian military forces.

When did this happen?

August 21, 2026

Where did this happen?

Russia

Why does this matter?

Ukrainian strikes on energy infrastructure created shortages that necessitated the importation of gasoline.