So those strikes on refineries and depots starts to work :-) ?
this post was submitted on 27 Feb 2024
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Also planting season means a looooot of gasoline usage by farm equipment.
Did the author just lazily substitute "gasoline" for "fuel", or is it really specifically a ban on gasoline? I cannot find out exactly what it is. Because farm equipment generally runs on diesel, not gasoline, would have less of an impact, if it's really specifically only about gasoline.
@Hopfgeist @Badeendje
Oil refining is barely limping along in Russia. It was always a weakness, but they don't have the ability to repair and maintain the refineries anymore. No parts, no skilled people.
@Hopfgeist @Badeendje
Almost all the people who had the skills to do the repairs have either fled the country or died in Ukraine.
Well around planting and harvest there is a lot of equipment that needs to run, trucks, etc.
Last year at harvest they also had a fuel shortage. Primarily caused by the Russians rabidly selling as much as they could because the low prices needed to be compensated. Running an illegal invasion of another country, while increasing your military size and running your arms industry 24/7 and keeping the lifestyle of your oligarchs up to par apparently is a cash heavy ordeal.
Here's from September 2023.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/21/russia-temporarily-bans-export-of-petrol-and-diesel-to-stabilise-domestic-market
@Badeendje @Hopfgeist
China and India both refused to pay in for oil in Rubles, meaning that the Ruble is a barely exchangeable currency.
Is this a bread and circuses thing? I have to think this will mostly cost the elites who might be exporting goods, and will help anyone who uses vehicles. If so, that suggests domestic morale isn't so good.
It could also be that they are lacking fuel for their stupid war. I think this is a good thing anways because it directly hurts the Russian government by losing money.
Oil and gas make up most of Russia's income, 40% of which is being spent on the war. Everything else has been cut back to the bone.
In theory this wouldn't be a good way to address that. Tariffs (and outright bans) pretty much always have nasty, unintended consequences.
It's possible Putin just doesn't see it that way. It's also possible he's trying to stop it being illegally diverted away from the war effort. I heard the little guys were stealing gas early in the war, so maybe the big guys do too.