Russia is weighing a ban on exports of diesel to avoid domestic shortages after Ukraine intensified attacks on the nation's refineries.
The move could potentially put extra pressure on international fuel supplies, which are already under strain due to the disruption caused by the Iran war.
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The possible prohibition of sales of diesel to foreign markets would come in addition to existing restrictions on flows of gasoline and jet fuel, Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Tuesday at a governmental meeting with President Vladimir Putin.
Currently, diesel exports from Russia are blocked only for traders and other sellers that don't produce their own fuel.
If Russia decides to go ahead with a full ban, it could push global diesel prices higher as the country is a major exporter of the fuel. Last year, it shipped 907,000 barrels a day of diesel and gasoil internationally, representing 11% of total supplies, according to data compiled by Bloomberg from analytics firm Vortexa Ltd.
Europe's diesel futures reversed earlier losses and its premium to crude jumped as much as 5.9% to $39.32 a barrel.
The potential ban comes after intensified drone strikes on refineries pushed Russia's crude-processing rate to the lowest in 20 years at the beginning of June. Since the start of the year, Ukrainian drones have attacked the country's refineries at least 47 times, compared with 82 for all of 2025, according to a Bloomberg tally of public statements from both countries.
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Russia is second only to the US in global export rankings for diesel, with Turkey and Brazil making the bulk of the purchases. The country's daily diesel and gasoil exports averaged just 813,000 barrels over the first five months of the year and reached a six-month low in May, according to the Vortexa data compiled by Bloomberg. Russia sells roughly 40% of domestically produced diesel to foreign markets.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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