AJ
Oil pumping at Russian refineries had dropped by more than 228 million tons by the end of 2025 (625,000 tons per day), which is the lowest since 2010, according to Kommersant citing data from the Argus agency.
According to the report, the most problematic period was from August to November, when just under 86 million tons of oil were delivered to refineries, compared to 90 million tons a year earlier, and it was during these months that most incidents at refineries occurred.
Analysts attribute the situation to the consequences of external impacts and difficulties related to both unplanned and planned equipment repairs, meaning that the total oil refining fell by 1.7% to 262 million tons.
Although Kommersant didn’t explain what caused the reductions, it is likely related to Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil infrastructure which began in 2024, but became more frequent in 2025.
One of the largest reductions was observed at Rosneft, with the loading of its refineries decreasing by 7.8%, and the Ryazan refinery by 34%, but the Tuapse refinery of the company increased pumping by 88%, while other companies including Gazprom Neft, Surgutneftegas, and LUKOIL slightly increased deliveries to their refineries.
Export restrictions also affected the industry, because the ban on the export of gasoline and diesel oil from September reduced incentives for refining.
According to Kommersant’s sources and previous reports on AJNews, the Government is currently considering lifting the ban on gasoline exports for producers on February 1 for two to three months until the high season, however, this ban had already been extended on December 31, and could be again.
