Russia’s fuel crisis deepens as 26 airports restrict aircraft refueling

The first restrictions were introduced in June, with a second wave imposed in September. They are set to remain in effect for periods ranging from one month to nearly seven months, depending on the airport.

At Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg, for example, aircraft can be refueled only according to their flight plans, with no additional fuel available, until March 2027.

The same refueling restrictions are in place at Khrabrovo Airport in Kaliningrad until December. At 15 of the 26 airports, the restrictions apply only to foreign airlines. "Aircraft operated by foreign airlines are limited to the amount of fuel required for a single flight," the notices said. Such limits are in effect at airports in Kazan, Ufa, Perm, Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk, Tyumen, Irkutsk, Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, Yakutsk and other cities.

The situation is most severe in southern Russia, where some airports remain closed because of the war. Of the six airports still operating, refueling restrictions for both domestic and foreign airlines have been introduced at three: Sochi, Volgograd and Astrakhan. In Krasnodar, the restrictions apply only to foreign airlines.

Russia is facing a fuel crisis following Ukrainian drone strikes on oil refineries. Since the beginning of the year, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have struck Russian refineries more than 70 times, knocking some of the country's largest facilities offline. As a result, Russia's oil refining volumes have fallen to their lowest level since 2002.

Earlier, drones struck the Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez oil refinery, setting one of the facility's units on fire.

Drones also attacked an oil refinery in Ufa, Russia, sparking fires.

According to the Financial Times, Ukraine has knocked out nearly half of Russia's oil refining capacity.

NV has also reported on how many more Russian oil refineries would need to be destroyed to bring the Russian economy to a halt.