Half of Russia's top diesel-producing refineries cut back output after drone strikes

According to the Paris-based International Energy Agency, in the first eight months of 2026, a Russian refinery was successfully hit on average every three days.

Russian diesel exports before the restrictions were introduced amounted to less than 1 million metric tons in June, according to traders' estimates, while combined exports of diesel and gasoil totalled about 1.8 million tons.

A year earlier, when refineries were operating normally, diesel exports stood at about 2.5 million tons per month, or 3.3 million to 3.4 million tons including lower-quality gasoil.

Turkey and Brazil had been the largest buyers of Russian diesel for many months, taking at least half of available cargoes before the restrictions came into force in July, according to LSEG data.