World's No. 2 crude exporter humbled: Russia seeks gasoline imports after Ukrainian drone strikes cripple refineries

Russia, the world's second-largest crude oil exporter, is moving to import gasoline after Ukrainian drone strikes damaged its refining facilities and disrupted the country's fuel supply chain.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said discussions on gasoline imports are "actively under way" and that imports would proceed "if an acceptable price is agreed upon," Politico reported Monday.

Analysts say Russia's push to import gasoline — despite being a major energy exporter — stems from Ukrainian drone strikes that have knocked out domestic refining capacity. Ukraine has intensified attacks on Russian oil refineries and energy infrastructure over recent months, leaving the country short of readily available gasoline and undermining its fuel supply chain.

Gasoline rationing has been reported in some parts of Russia and in Crimea, which Russia annexed by force. Vladimir Putin has publicly acknowledged the fuel shortage, noting recently that gasoline stockpiles had fallen about 4 percent from a year earlier. The Russian parliament has also passed a tax reform package to support gasoline imports.