Fuel Crisis Deepens in Russia as Harvest, Small Businesses and Aviation Come Under Pressure

14.08.2026, 18:42 uatv.ua

Russia’s prolonged fuel shortage is increasingly affecting agriculture, small businesses, tourism and aviation, with rising prices and declining fuel quality adding to the economic pressure caused by the war and Ukrainian long-range strikes, UATV English reports.

According to Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, consumer sentiment in Russia has fallen to its lowest level since May 2022, as fuel shortages and disruptions spread across the country.

The situation has also been aggravated by damage to Russian oil refineries and fuel infrastructure. Farmers are among those feeling the impact most directly, with fuel becoming so expensive in some regions that harvesting crops is reportedly becoming economically unprofitable.

The damage to Wildberries’ logistics network has added further pressure. According to The Moscow Times, Ukrainian drone strikes may have destroyed or damaged more than 1 million square meters of warehouse space belonging to the Russian marketplace.

Oleh Pendzin, executive director of the Economic Discussion Club, said the consequences could extend far beyond the company itself.

“Wildberries provided contacts, jobs, deliveries and orders for 80 million Russians. Goods worth around 3% of GDP passed through the platform. If such a marketplace goes bankrupt, it would need 520–530 billion rubles to settle with suppliers,” Pendzin said.

Russia’s fiscal position is also deteriorating. According to Reuters, the country’s budget deficit is approaching 8.7 trillion rubles, roughly twice the amount originally planned for the entire year.

Fuel shortages are also affecting the quality of gasoline available to consumers. Reports indicate that some Russian motorists are increasingly experiencing engine and fuel-system failures because vehicles designed for higher-quality Euro-5 gasoline are being supplied with lower-grade fuel.

Aviation is facing a separate problem: a shortage of jet fuel following disruptions to Russian refinery output. Russia has banned jet-fuel exports, while an attempted July shipment of at least 2,000 barrels from Japan via South Korea reportedly did not materialize.

Analysts have also raised concerns over declining fuel standards. Economic commentator Vyacheslav Shiryayev warned that lowering technical requirements, including freezing-point standards, could create serious safety risks for aircraft during winter operations at high altitude.

“Changing fuel safety standards is simply a red flag,” Shiryayev said, warning that lower-quality fuel could pose particular risks in extremely cold conditions.

Russia’s aviation sector is also struggling with the collapse of its plans to replace the Soviet-era An-2 light aircraft. Planned regional routes in Siberia and the Altai region depend on aircraft that Russia has been unable to produce in sufficient numbers.

Gennady Guselnikov, head of the Siberian Agreement interregional association, said the country lacks enough small aircraft to restore regional air connectivity.

The company developing the An-2 replacement has proposed restoring around 700 older aircraft still operated by private organizations. The project could cost up to 21 billion rubles, adding another major financial burden to an economy already strained by military spending and disruptions to its energy sector.

The growing fuel and aviation problems illustrate how damage to Russia’s refining and logistics infrastructure is increasingly spilling over into civilian sectors of the economy.

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