Russia’s biggest oil company stopped selling gasoline in canisters nationwide after Ukraine’s strikes. It blames “seasonal demand”
Russia's largest oil company, Rosneft, along with Bashneft and TNK, halted the sale of gasoline in canisters at all gas stations across Russia, citing "increased seasonal demand," according to Verstka. The restrictions follow a Ukrainian drone strike that damaged the TANECO refinery in Tatarstan on 12 June 2026, with an annual processing capacity exceeding 16 million tons of crude oil.
Beyond canister bans, Rosneft network gas stations have introduced per-vehicle refueling caps of approximately 90 liters. Tatneft, the parent company of TANECO, separately imposed nationwide limits of 20-30 liters of AI brand gasoline and 40-60 liters of diesel per customer.
Some Russian regions have introduced coupon systems for fuel purchases, with several restrictions now becoming federally mandated, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports.
Ukrainian deep-strike campaign targets Russia's refining capacity to cut war funding
Ukrainian Defense Forces damaged the TANECO and TAIF-NK refineries in Nizhnekamsk, Tatarstan, on the night of 12 June 2026, with the operation conducted in coordination with the Russian resistance movement Chernaya Iskra (Black Spark). The strike on TANECO damaged the ELOU-AVT-7 crude distillation unit, with monitoring channels also reporting fires at the ELOU AVT-8 and AVT-9 primary oil processing columns.
TANECO had a refining depth of 99.6% before the strike, making it one of Russia's most efficient refineries. The Ukrainian deep-strike campaign matters as a strategic instrument because Russian oil exports remain a primary source of war financing.
Russian fuel crisis reaches Moscow and St. Petersburg as restrictions spread
The Russian fuel crisis now affects 25 Russian regions and six occupied Ukrainian territories — Crimea, Sevastopol, and the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. Gas stations in Russian-controlled Donetsk reported empty pumps and queues of up to three hours to refuel earlier this month.
The 12 June attack came on Russia Day, Russia's national holiday, and forced Nizhnekamsk to cancel public events marking the celebration.
