Russia increased gasoline imports from Belarus 23-fold due to oil refinery crisis
Russia sharply increased purchases of motor fuel in Belarus amid a shortage that emerged after a series of strikes on Russian oil refineries. From January to August, Belarusian gasoline supplies to the Russian Federation by rail grew roughly 23-fold compared with the same period last year and exceeded 866,000 tons.
Diesel fuel supplies over the same period rose 5.4-fold, to 570,000 tons. Russia has effectively turned Belarus into one of the main sources for quickly offsetting lost volumes of its own refining.
In August, the Russian market received about 201,000 tons of Belarusian gasoline. That is only 5% less than the record 212,000 tons delivered in July. Diesel imports fell 5.5%, from 162,000 to 153,000 tons.
Belarusian companies also sent about 9,600 tons of aviation kerosene to Russia, compared with 13,100 tons a month earlier. Thus, despite a slight decline from July’s record, supplies remain near maximum levels.
Russian refineries cut output after strikes
The increase in imports is taking place against a backdrop of serious problems in the Russian oil refining sector. According to the International Energy Agency, Russian crude processing in June dropped to about 3.8 million barrels per day — the lowest level in more than 20 years and about 30% below the figure from a year earlier.
According to IEA data, gasoline production dropped about 20% compared with 2025, and diesel output fell almost 30%. The agency links the decline primarily to intensified drone strikes on Russian refineries.
Already in July, fuel supplies from Belarus set a monthly record. At that point, 212,000 tons of gasoline and 162,000 tons of diesel were shipped to Russia by rail. In early July, Russia’s own gasoline production at times corresponded to only about 65% of typical seasonal consumption, according to Reuters sources.
By late August, the situation had worsened again: Russian gasoline production stood at about 70% of domestic consumption after a fresh series of stoppages at major refineries. Against this background, Moscow limited exports of petroleum products and expanded fuel imports not only from Belarus but also from other countries.
Belarus approaches supply ceiling
Belarus has two large refineries — the Mozyr Refinery and Naftan. Their combined design capacity is about 24 million tons of crude per year. Both facilities refine Russian feedstock to a significant extent.
The Belarusian side previously said it was ready to increase plant utilization to partially compensate for the production decline in Russia. However, industry sources indicated that current supply volumes are already close to the limits of Belarusian refinery and railway infrastructure capacity.
Because of Belarus’ limited capabilities, Russia simultaneously began buying gasoline more actively by sea. India, Turkey, and other countries are named among fuel sources. In August, the volume of such purchases reached record levels, since domestic output could not offset the halt in refining capacity quickly enough.
Thus, the sharp rise in supplies from Belarus became one of the most visible indicators of the scale of Russia’s fuel crisis: a country that possesses one of the world’s largest refining industries is being forced more and more actively to make up the shortage of gasoline and diesel with imports.
Based on materials from: Delo.ua, International Energy Agency, Hydrocarbon Processing, iSANS
