Russia's oil-port city on Black Sea is fast running out of fuel

Bloomberg News on Jul 3, 2026

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Novorossiysk, home to Russia’s largest oil port on the Black Sea, is running out of road fuel, the latest fallout from a supply crunch spreading across the country as Ukraine continues attacks on key refineries.

“Currently, no gasoline is sold at filling stations,” the Novorossiysk administration said Friday in a statement on its website. “Limited volumes of diesel are available at eight stations” across the city of some 500,000 people, it said.

Novorossiysk hosts Russia’s largest Black Sea oil terminal, which last month loaded a daily average of more than 980,000 barrels of the nation’s crude. The oil infrastructure has been targeted by multiple Ukrainian drone attacks this year as Kyiv seeks to disrupt Moscow’s export flows and reduce the oil revenue that helps fund the war.

Ukraine has also been striking Russian oil refineries on a near daily basis, causing crude-processing rates and fuel production to nosedive. In recent days, 90% of Russia’s regions have faced gasoline-supply issues or some form of fuel rationing, according to a Bloomberg tally of statements from local authorities and media.

Russia has already imposed a ban on most gasoline and jet fuel exports, and the government has considered restricting foreign sales of diesel.

Currently, only Novorossiysk enterprises that have a supply contract with specific filling-station chains can refuel vehicles for business needs, the city authorities said.

The head of Russia’s Krasnodar region, where Novorossiysk is located, urged residents to consider using methane-powered cars.

“Along with electric cars, this is a worthy alternative to gasoline and diesel vehicles,” Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev said.