In this photo released by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia’s Vladimir Putin addresses the audience at the 23rd Congress of the United Russia party in Moscow on June 28, 2026.
Yekaterina Shtukina | Afp | Getty Images
Russian President Vladimir Putin has admitted the country is facing fuel shortages following a series of long-running Ukrainian airstrikes on key energy infrastructure, although he insisted the Kremlin was responsible.
The Russian president’s comments during an interview with a state television reporter on Sunday are the first to detail how Ukraine’s success has affected Russia’s oil production.
Putin said Russia would import more fuel and speed up maintenance of oil facilities to eliminate what he described as a “temporary shortage,” according to the Associated Press.
“All the damaged facilities are being restored quickly, and the emerging problems are not serious,” Putin said. He also pledged to strengthen Russia’s air defense capabilities to counter Ukraine’s medium- to long-range capabilities.
Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russian oil facilities in recent weeks, seeking to cut off Moscow’s energy revenues and trying to force Putin to end the more than four-year war.
The attacks, which included a major explosion at Gazprom’s Moscow refinery earlier this month, have prompted analysts to suggest the conflict could spill over into Ukraine.
Ukraine has also stepped up its strikes on Crimea, which Russia seized by force in 2014, as part of a strategy to divide the peninsula, and has benefited from a series of political developments in recent weeks.
Speaking earlier on Sunday, Putin used his speech at a conference of the ruling United Russia party to reinforce his determination to achieve the country’s military goals and show Russia’s strength.
He vaguely referred to the impact of the attack on Ukraine on Russia’s power centers, saying: “Yes, we see and are aware of our problems – we also respond to them.”
He added: “We will definitely face all the challenges we are facing today, including terrorist attacks on our area and our infrastructure.
Cars are lined up at a gas station operated by Rosneft, Russia’s state-controlled oil company, on June 27, 2026, in Moscow, Russia. Russia has been facing a fuel crisis since mid-June, caused by an increase in Ukrainian airstrikes on oil refineries.
Donor | Getty Images News | Getty Images
The Russian president also acknowledged the impact of the strikes in Ukraine when he held a meeting with government ministers and other officials, noting the queues at gas stations and saying that a complete ban on diesel exports is being considered.
Russian oil filters
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on Sunday that the military attacked two more Russian oil refineries, one in the Krasnodar region, which is estimated to be about 186 kilometers from the front line, and another facility in the Yaroslavl region, which is about 435 miles from the Ukrainian border.
“Each of our long-range sanctions is a reduction in resources for the Russian military machine, and another step towards peace,” Zelenskyy said via Telegram, according to a Google translation.
There were no immediate reports from Russian authorities about the strike. Mikhail Evraev, the governor of the Yaroslavl region, said on Sunday that a drone warning has been issued and traffic has been temporarily closed on the road from Yaroslavl to Moscow.
