00:00Russia faces growing fuel crisis as Ukraine deepens strikes on oil infrastructure.
00:05Kyiv, July 20.
00:07Russia is experiencing a deepening fuel crisis as Ukrainian drone strikes continue to target
00:13its oil-refining infrastructure, causing widespread shortages, long queues at gas stations,
00:19and surging fuel prices across the country.
00:22Fuel shortages spread.
00:25Across Russia
00:27Ukraine's campaign against Russian oil facilities has had a tangible impact on civilian life.
00:32According to an analysis by the independent Russian news outlet Meduza and the Financial Times,
00:39gasoline, diesel, and fuel oil sales in Russia dropped by approximately 47% between January and June
00:472026, while average prices rose by 46% as of early July.
00:53Shortages, consumption limits, and sales restrictions have been reported in nearly every region of the country.
01:00The agricultural sector has been particularly affected as diesel shortages threaten the harvesting season.
01:06In the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula, the situation is even more acute.
01:11Ukrainian drone strikes on fuel tankers have caused gasoline prices to skyrocket to as high as 197 rubles per liter,
01:19and in some cases up to 450 rubles, an unprecedented level.
01:23Putin acknowledges problem, but denies war link.
01:27For the first time, Russian President Vladimir Putin has publicly acknowledged the fuel shortage,
01:33admitting to long queues at gas stations, but he insisted the situation was not critical.
01:38The Kremlin has consistently denied linking the crisis to the war in Ukraine,
01:42instead blaming a Ukrainian information campaign designed to sow panic among the Russian public.
01:48As a solution, authorities have proposed reintroducing Euro-3 standard gasoline,
01:53which contains higher sulfur content and could damage modern car engines.
01:58Public resilience, not rebellion.
02:00Despite the growing frustration, analysts say the crisis has not yet translated into widespread anti-war protests.
02:08The Russian public has largely adapted to the situation,
02:11with citizens sharing information about fuel availability through encrypted apps
02:16and using coded language to avoid censorship.
02:19Anger is real, but it hasn't reached the point of rebellion, said one analyst cited in the report.
02:26Instead of holding the Kremlin responsible,
02:29many Russians have blamed oil companies, independent station owners,
02:33or even ordinary citizens for panic buying.
02:36Russia's mounting losses.
02:37As of July 19th, Ukraine's general staff reported that Russian military losses
02:43since the start of the full-scale invasion have reached approximately 1,428,930 personnel,
02:52including both killed and wounded, citation original.
02:57The figure includes nearly 1,240 casualties in the past 24 hours alone.
03:03The report also detailed significant material losses,
03:07including 10,156 tanks, 24,963 armored fighting vehicles,
03:14102,289 vehicles and fuel tankers, and 46,261 artillery systems.
03:22Major Russian Missile Attack on Kyiv
03:24Despite the difficulties on the home front,
03:28Russia launched a major ballistic missile attack on Kyiv overnight from July 18th to 19th,
03:34described as one of the largest since the invasion began.
03:37Over 40 missiles were fired at the capital in less than an hour,
03:41causing severe damage to residential areas and civilian infrastructure.
03:45At least one person was killed and 16 others wounded.
03:49Ukraine's air defense systems intercepted or suppressed 126 targets,
03:54including 18 missiles and 108 drones.
03:57However, 23 missiles and 10 Shahed-type drones struck targets at 20 locations,
04:03with debris from intercepted drones causing additional damage at 18 more sites.
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