Russia’s state railway monopoly announced Wednesday the creation of a specialized task force to manage fuel transportation across the country, as an increasing number of regions implement rationing measures amid a coordinated Ukrainian drone campaign against oil refineries and supply lines.
In a statement, Russian Railways said the new task force will focus on maintaining steady deliveries of petroleum products while navigating a volatile “operational environment” — a standard euphemism used by officials to refer to the fallout from Ukrainian attacks.
The company highlighted growing concern over aviation fuel, noting that keeping Russian airports supplied has become a “zone of special attention” to “eliminate fuel shortages.” Earlier this month, the Russian government banned jet fuel exports until the end of November.
At the same time, Russian Railways said it was “accepting maximum cargo volumes within the current technical limits of its infrastructure” and urged other companies in the oil and fuel supply chain to strictly adhere to unloading schedules, warning that any delays in emptying fuel tank cars would paralyze bottleneck routes and choke off the return of rolling stock to refineries.
