Kazakhstan's refinery increases supplies to Russia as Ukraine's strikes continue
Kazakhstan's oil refinery "Kondensat" has agreed to send about 70% of its produced gasoline and diesel fuel to Russia. Supplies may begin immediately, while the Russian fuel market continues to feel the impact of regular Ukrainian strikes on oil refining enterprises.
The agreement was announced by Kazakhstan's Energy Minister Erlan Akkenzhenov. The "Kondensat" refinery is located in the city of Aksai in the West Kazakhstan region and operates, in particular, on Russian raw materials.
According to the minister, up to 30% of the gasoline and diesel fuel produced at the enterprise will remain on Kazakhstan's domestic market, and about 70% can be directed to Russia. At the same time, the plant retains the right to export its products outside the Eurasian Economic Union.
Akkenzhenov noted that fuel shipments to the Russian Federation can begin immediately. According to him, this scheme should allow attracting additional investments into the refinery's expansion and preserving jobs.
Kazakhstan already supplies gasoline to Russia
The current agreement essentially expands the existing fuel supply channel. In July 2026, "Kondensat" began exporting motor gasoline to Russia. Kazakh media reported the first batch of about 1,000 tons sent to the Volga region.
Back in early July, Russia was looking for opportunities to increase gasoline purchases from Kazakhstan amid a shortage on the domestic market. At that time, possible supplies of about 50,000 tons of fuel were discussed. "Kurs Ukrainy" wrote that the shortage was linked to shutdowns of Russian refineries, unscheduled repairs, and consequences of Ukrainian strikes on Russia's oil infrastructure.
Subsequently, Moscow expanded the geography of purchases of finished motor fuel. Besides Kazakhstan, Russia imported gasoline from India, Belarus, and other countries, trying to compensate for the decline in its own production.
Strikes on Russian refineries continue
Ukraine regularly attacks Russian oil refineries and other fuel infrastructure used to supply the Russian army.
In particular, on the night of August 25, Ukraine's Defense Forces struck the Afipsky refinery in the Krasnodar region of the Russian Federation. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed a fire at the enterprise, and the extent of damage is still being clarified. The design capacity of this plant is about 6.25 million tons of oil per year; it produces, among other things, diesel fuel and gasoline components.
This is not the first strike on Russian oil refining recently. The attacks lead to shutdowns or restrictions on the operation of certain production facilities, while in a number of regions of the Russian Federation fuel supply disruptions have re-emerged. As of mid-August, problems with fuel availability were recorded in at least 16 Russian regions.
Thus, the new working scheme of Kazakhstan's "Kondensat" gives Russia an additional source of finished petroleum products at a time when its own refining industry is under constant pressure from Ukrainian strikes.
Based on materials from: Kursiv, Inbusiness.kz
