The Digester
general

Ukrainian drone strikes cut nearly half of Russia's oil export capacity

Russia stood to gain from a spike in oil prices and temporary US sanction relief, but sustained Ukrainian drone attacks on major ports and refineries have forced large export shutdowns and prompted domestic fuel controls.

Mar 29th 2026 ยท Russian Federation

Insights

  • Drone strikes on Novorossiysk, Primorsk and Ust-Luga shut about 40% of Russia's crude export capacity, Reuters says.
  • Primorsk and Ust-Luga previously handled roughly 45% of Russia's seaborne crude exports, Bloomberg data show.
  • Russia briefly benefited from higher global oil prices and a temporary US easing of sanctions on its crude.
  • Attacks continue, causing fires at Ust-Luga and a strike on the Yaroslavl refinery.
  • Moscow is moving to restrict gasoline exports amid refinery outages and rising domestic economic strain, including wider deficits and layoffs.

Sources