The U.S. president assured that numerous Ukrainian attacks temporarily knocked several Russian refineries offline and again called for an end to the war
The deterioration of refining capacity has also had consequences for the Russian domestic market. Moscow has introduced restrictions on the export of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel in order to increase domestic availability.
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, stated on Monday that Russia has lost control of its diesel industry as a result of the war with Ukraine and attacks on its energy facilities. The president asserted that numerous Russian refineries have been damaged and remain, at least temporarily, out of service.
“Russia has unfortunately lost control of its diesel industry due to its war with Ukraine,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. The U.S. president added that a large number of refineries had been destroyed or rendered inoperable and reiterated his call for an end to the conflict.
The statements come after a sustained campaign of Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil infrastructure. According to calculations by Reuters based on information from market participants, six of Russia's main diesel-producing refineries—Omsk, Kirishi, Taneco, Volgograd, NORSI, and Perm—account for approximately half of the country's diesel production.
The Kirishi refinery has been completely shut down, while the Volgograd and NORSI plants were operating at about a quarter of their nominal capacity. The International Energy Agency also noted that during the first eight months of 2026, a Russian refinery was successfully hit by drone attacks, on average, every three days.
Trump also linked the Russian situation to the rise in international diesel prices. During a phone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the U.S. president again urged Kiev to stop attacks on Russian refineries. Washington maintains that the disruptions are contributing to a global fuel shortage.
Ukraine, for its part, considers Russian refineries and other energy facilities as targets linked to Moscow's ability to finance and sustain its military effort. Zelensky responded that Kiev continues to seek de-escalation but demanded that Russia also stop attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
The energy situation has thus become one of the main pressure points in the discussions between Washington, Moscow, and Kiev, as Trump insists on achieving an end to the war.
