Russian Fuel Exports Claw Back Ground Despite Sustained Refinery Strikes

The Baltic ports led the recovery, with shipments from Primorsk, Vysotsk, St. Petersburg, and Ust-Luga surging 32.7% to 2.62 million tons. This regional growth stood in stark contrast to the Black and Azov Sea terminals, where volumes tumbled 25.3% to 930,000 tons. Meanwhile, the Far East and Arctic hubs saw modest gains, yet these figures fail to mask the systemic fragility of the nation's refinery network.

Three of Russia’s six largest diesel-producing facilities—Kirishi, Volgograd, and NORSI—remain either shuttered or operating at roughly 25% capacity. These plants typically command half of the country's total diesel production. With Moscow extending its diesel export ban through October 31 to prioritize domestic stocks before winter, the global market remains exposed. U.S. diesel prices have already climbed past $6 per gallon, squeezed by the dual impact of Russian outages and tightening supplies from the Persian Gulf.