Central Asia Faces 15.6% Fuel Price Surge as Ukrainian Drones Cripple Russian Refineries
Updated
Updated · Al Jazeera English · Aug 24
Central Asia Faces 15.6% Fuel Price Surge as Ukrainian Drones Cripple Russian Refineries
3 articles · Updated · Al Jazeera English · Aug 24
Summary
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are grappling with petrol shortages and panic buying as Ukrainian drone strikes knock out Russian refineries that long supplied the region.
Omsk—Russia’s biggest refinery and a key source for Central Asia—stopped operating after early July attacks, disrupting countries that once sourced up to 90% of their petrol from Russia.
Kazakhstan banned petrol exports in late May, yet border guards have blocked hundreds of smuggling attempts back into Russia, while domestic fuel prices have already risen 15.6% this year.
Kyrgyzstan has regulated prices and spent about $11.4 million on subsidies, while Tajikistan imposed 20-litre limits at some stations and signed an Iranian supply deal for 2.5 million tonnes.
The shock is pushing governments to build reserves and seek new suppliers, but higher global prices linked to tensions around Iran threaten costlier imports across the region.