{"id":7375,"date":"2026-06-19T16:35:32","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T16:35:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/06\/19\/petrol-shortages-and-oil-rain-bring-russia-ukraine-war-home-to-moscow\/"},"modified":"2026-06-19T16:35:32","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T16:35:32","slug":"petrol-shortages-and-oil-rain-bring-russia-ukraine-war-home-to-moscow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/06\/19\/petrol-shortages-and-oil-rain-bring-russia-ukraine-war-home-to-moscow\/","title":{"rendered":"Petrol shortages and \u2018oil rain\u2019 bring Russia-Ukraine war home to Moscow"},"content":{"rendered":"<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>Months of Ukrainian strikes on Russia\u2019s oil infrastructure have led to widespread fuel rationing, with Russian President Vladimir Putin now unable to mask the war\u2019s economic effects.<\/p>\n<p>The Russian petrol shortages come amid other good news for Ukraine, which during the past week garnered 4 billion euros ($4.6bn) in new military aid commitments from its allies for anti-ballistic interceptors, long-range artillery and unmanned systems.<\/p>\n<section>\n<h2>Recommended Stories <\/h2>\n<p><span>list of 4 items<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span>list 1 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/6\/17\/uks-starmer-says-russian-warships-warning-shots-in-channel-reckless\">UK\u2019s Starmer says Russian warship\u2019s warning shots in Channel \u2018reckless\u2019<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 2 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/video\/inside-story\/2026\/6\/17\/will-ukraine-become-an-eu-member\">Will Ukraine become an EU member?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 3 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/6\/18\/ukraine-hits-moscow-refinery-as-zelenskyy-seeks-trump-support-to-end-war\">Ukraine hits Moscow refinery as Zelenskyy seeks Trump support to end war<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 4 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/video\/newsfeed\/2026\/6\/19\/ukraine-urges-eu-to-pressure-russia-to-end-war-before-winter\">Ukraine urges EU to pressure Russia to end war before winter<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Ukraine and Germany also signed an agreement to develop a European anti-ballistic interceptor missile \u2013 a longstanding desire of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.<\/p>\n<p>The European Union, too, released 6 billion euros ($6.9bn) in military aid from its European Peace Facility and started talks that are expected to lead to Ukraine\u2019s membership. Both developments had long been delayed by Hungarian premier Viktor Orban, who lost power in April.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4642809\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4642809\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/INTERACTIVE-WHO-CONTROLS-WHAT-IN-UKRAINE-1781084256.png?quality=80\" alt=\"INTERACTIVE-WHO CONTROLS WHAT IN UKRAINE-1780491991\" data-interactive=\"true\" fetchpriority=\"low\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4642809\">[Al Jazeera]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>After opening the first of six negotiation clusters with Brussels to join the EU, Zelenskyy urged the EU Intergovernmental Conference to move faster and open the remaining five simultaneously.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUkraine has earned the right to move faster \u2026 We are ready to open all clusters. We have done our work. Everyone in Europe knows this,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"rationing-in-russia\">Rationing in Russia<\/h2>\n<p>Russian independent news outlet The Bell reported rationing in 53 Russian regions and in occupied Ukraine on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>That rationing had reached the principal urban centres of Moscow and Saint Petersburg, where the Tatneft chain of petrol stations on Monday began limiting customers to 20 litres of petrol (5.3 gallons) and 40 litres of diesel at a time \u201cfor technical reasons\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Other petrol chains, including Rosneft, placed upper limits of 90 litres per sale.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4642812\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4642812\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/INTERACTIVE-WHO-CONTROLS-WHAT-IN-EASTERN-UKRAINE-copy-1781084276.png?quality=80\" alt=\"INTERACTIVE-WHO CONTROLS WHAT IN EASTERN UKRAINE copy-1780491964\" data-interactive=\"true\" fetchpriority=\"low\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4642812\">(Al Jazeera)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Rosneft and Bashneft, the state oil company of the Republic of Bashkortostan, on Tuesday reportedly banned sales of petrol in canisters due to \u201cincreased seasonal demand\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>These reports came after unusually low oil production during May.<\/p>\n<p>The International Energy Agency reported that Russia produced 8.74 million barrels per day of oil last month, versus 8.96 million bpd in April, approximately 100,000 barrels below target.<\/p>\n<p>Russian oil producers have in the past few weeks announced production cuts following damage to infrastructure caused by Ukrainian strikes.<\/p>\n<p>Russia was reacting to the shortages by allowing some refineries to circulate under-refined petrol with a higher sulphur content, Russian business newspaper Kommersant reported.<\/p>\n<p>Reuters reported that Russia also planned to increase imports of refined petroleum products from Asia.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"ukraine-s-war-on-the-russian-budget\">Ukraine\u2019s war on the Russian budget<\/h2>\n<p>Kyiv gave its strikes added political import by striking the Moscow Oil Refinery twice during the week, on Tuesday and Thursday, sending black clouds of smoke into the Moscow skyline that residents reported caused \u201coil rain\u201d and covered surfaces in black soot.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe company\u2019s products account for over 38 percent of the capital region\u2019s fuel consumption, including supplying aviation fuel to Domodedovo, Vnukovo, Sheremetyevo, and Zhukovsky airports,\u201d said the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>Ukraine\u2019s General Staff said one of the refinery\u2019s primary processing units was damaged in the first strike, while the second caused five simultaneous fires, reportedly damaging a combined processing unit, a secondary processing unit and a tank farm.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4642815\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4642815\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/INTERACTIVE-WHO-CONTROLS-WHAT-IN-SOUTHERN-UKRAINE-1781084299.png?quality=80\" alt=\"INTERACTIVE-WHO CONTROLS WHAT IN SOUTHERN UKRAINE-1781084299\" data-interactive=\"true\" fetchpriority=\"low\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4642815\">(Al Jazeera)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The refinery was forced to halt operations. The pollution caused six airports around Moscow to shut down, cancelling flights.<\/p>\n<p>Days earlier, Putin had promised Russians that Ukrainian long-range strikes would be contained.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe will increase our strikes on the enemy\u2019s infrastructure in such a way as to discourage them from attacking our civilian objects,\u201d he had told a news conference.<\/p>\n<p>Ukraine did not say what means it used to strike the refinery in Moscow, which is one of Russia\u2019s best-defended areas from aerial threats. Russia\u2019s defence ministry said later on Thursday that it had downed 992 drones and four missiles over a 24-hour period.<\/p>\n<p>In the past week, Ukraine also struck the TANEKO refinery in the Republic of Tatarstan, one of Russia\u2019s largest, which produces aviation fuel for the armed forces, and numerous tank farms, pumping stations and oil terminals.<\/p>\n<p>As part of a campaign against weapons manufacturers, Ukraine on June 12 struck the Tolyattikauchuk chemical plant, which manufactures synthetic rubber used in solid rocket and missile fuel.<\/p>\n<p>Putin made a rare concession that Ukraine was succeeding in causing economic pain.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe blows of the Armed Forces of Ukraine damage the Russian economy \u2026 The enemy is increasing the use of aircraft-type UAVs in order to split Russian society and cause economic damage,\u201d Putin said. \u201cBut everything is quickly recovering,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe understand that Putin is rarely provided with completely truthful information without embellishment,\u201d said Zelenskyy.<\/p>\n<p>Not everyone in Moscow agreed with Putin.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe continue to face new prohibitions, restrictions and a growing financial burden,\u201d wrote Duma (lower house) member Vyacheslav Markhaev on June 11.<\/p>\n<p>He associated the ineffectiveness of economic reforms that \u201cremain on paper\u201d with the ineffectiveness of Russia\u2019s war in Ukraine. \u201cAttacks on our cities do not stop, their geography is expanding.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4678931\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4678931\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-06-17T054742Z_1971698997_RC29VLAHDZHE_RTRMADP_3_UKRAINE-CRISIS-ATTACK-ZAPORIZHZHIA-1781877171.jpg?w=770&#038;resize=770%2C513&#038;quality=80\" alt=\"SENSITIVE MATERIAL. THIS IMAGE MAY OFFEND OR DISTURB A medical worker treats a wounded resident at a site of an apartment building hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine June 16, 2026. REUTERS\/Stringer TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY\" fetchpriority=\"low\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4678931\">A woman is treated for a wound at a site of an apartment building hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia\u2019s war on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on June 16, 2026 [Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Russian officials have pointed out the financial strain of the war since the summer of 2025, leading to promises from the Kremlin to lower military expenditure in 2026.<\/p>\n<p>The opposite appears to be happening, however. Russia is increasing its defence budget despite falling tax revenues, said Janis Kluge, an economist and Russia expert at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs.<\/p>\n<p>Russian finance ministry data suggested that defence spending was up 30 percent in the first quarter, compared with the same period last year, Kluge said.<\/p>\n<p>Although defence spending was meant to fall from 7.8 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) last year to 6.2 percent this year, it was on track to reach 10 percent, he found.<\/p>\n<p>Falling government income meant that military spending has reached two-thirds of budget revenues, Kluge said.<\/p>\n<p>Russia\u2019s financial situation could further worsen after US President Donald Trump signed a ceasefire with Iran this week. The United States Treasury had waived sanctions on Russian oil to relieve pressure on global prices after the US-Israeli war on Iran began on February 28. The latest waiver was not renewed after expiring on June 17, however.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Months of Ukrainian strikes on Russia\u2019s oil infrastructure have led to widespread fuel rationing, with Russian President Vladimir Putin now unable to mask the war\u2019s economic effects. The Russian petrol shortages come amid other good news for Ukraine, which during the past week garnered 4 billion euros ($4.6bn) in new military aid commitments from its &#8230; <a title=\"Petrol shortages and \u2018oil rain\u2019 bring Russia-Ukraine war home to Moscow\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/06\/19\/petrol-shortages-and-oil-rain-bring-russia-ukraine-war-home-to-moscow\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Petrol shortages and \u2018oil rain\u2019 bring Russia-Ukraine war home to Moscow\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7376,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7375"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7375\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}