The authorities are seriously discussing the idea of building mini-refineries to deal with the fuel crisis. Will it help?

The authorities are seriously discussing the idea of building mini-refineries to deal with the fuel crisis. Will it help?

The idea of developing a network of mini-refineries was raised on July 8 at Vladimir Putin’s meeting with the government and immediately became the subject of lively debate. At first glance, in wartime conditions, large refineries are constantly under threat of attack, and building small plants would help reduce the risks.

In reality, however, this project is hardly justified either economically or from a defense standpoint. And the very fact that such discussions are taking place says a great deal about what Russia has come to by the summer of 2026, writes Sergei Vakulenko, senior fellow at the Carnegie Berlin Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, in an article for the Carnegie Politika project.

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Ukraine disrupted the operation of Russia’s largest oil refineries, and now the Kremlin is seriously discussing the idea of building mini-refineries

The mention of mini-refineries during a recent meeting with Vladimir Putin about the gasoline shortage immediately became the subject of lively discussion. At first glance, the initiative seems logical: in wartime conditions, large refineries are constantly under threat of attack, and creating…