Russia introduced a ban on diesel exports on Wednesday as part of a raft of measures to support the domestic fuel market after systematic Ukrainian drone attacks on oil refineries triggered gasoline shortages and price spikes. Drivers in many regions are facing hours-long lines to refuel, as intensifying Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure squeeze supplies of diesel and gasoline. The deputy prime minister, Alexander Novak, told a televised government meeting, chaired by the president, Vladimir Putin, that the fuel situation remained complex and that “it is clear that the current situation at filling stations is causing concern among the public.”
Russian ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones killed at least three people in Kyiv in attacks on Wednesday morning, officials said, as Moscow exploits Ukraine’s critical shortage of US-made interceptors. The attacks coincided with a Nato summit in Ankara, where Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, held a meeting with Donald Trump and discussed the possibility of Ukraine obtaining licences to produce the interceptors. Moscow has stepped up its air war on Ukraine in recent months as its ground advances have largely stalled and Ukrainian attacks on its military logistics and oil industry triggered widespread fuel shortages. In July alone, Russian strikes on Kyiv and its surrounding region have killed 60 people.
