Putin Admits Ukraine's Deep Strikes Are Causing Fuel Shortages in Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin has, for the first time, admitted that his country is experiencing fuel shortages. This comes as a result of a series of long-range Ukrainian drone attacks hitting strategic energy infrastructure.
“All damaged facilities are being restored quite quickly, and the problems arising are not critical,” Putin stated in an interview with Russian state television on Sunday (28/06/2026), as quoted by CNBC International.
Putin emphasised that the government is still able to control the situation and is accelerating the recovery of damaged facilities. He added that Russia will increase fuel imports while simultaneously speeding up the repair of oil refineries to address what he described as a “temporary deficit.”
This admission marks Putin’s most open statement regarding the impact of deep Ukrainian strikes on the Russian energy sector. He noted that the Kremlin will also strengthen air defence systems to counter Ukrainian drone attacks capable of reaching deep into Russian territory.
In his speech at the United Russia party congress on the same day, Putin once again addressed the impact of these attacks.
“Yes, we see and recognise our problems, and we are also responding to them,” he said. He asserted that the government would overcome all challenges, including attacks on Russian territory and infrastructure.
Putin also revealed that the government is considering a full ban on diesel exports following the emergence of queues at several filling stations due to supply disruptions.
Meanwhile, Ukraine continues to intensify attacks on Russian energy facilities in an effort to reduce Moscow’s revenue from the oil and gas sector, which serves as a primary source of war funding. One of the largest previous attacks hit the Gazprom Moscow refinery, which, according to several analysts, demonstrates the increasing effectiveness of Ukraine’s long-range operations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that his forces attacked two Russian oil refineries on Sunday, located in the Krasnodar and Yaroslavl regions, respectively.
“Every long-term sanction of ours is a reduction of the resources working for the Russian war machine, and another step towards peace,” Zelensky wrote via Telegram.
To date, Russian authorities have not confirmed any damage resulting from the latest attacks. However, the Governor of Yaroslavl, Mikhail Evraev, stated that drone danger warnings were temporarily implemented and access roads to Moscow were temporarily closed as a precautionary measure.