Russia Extends Diesel Export Ban Through Oct. 31

Russia’s cabinet announced a one-month extension of a halt on exports of diesel, marine fuel and gasoil, keeping the restrictions in place through October 31. The government said the measure is intended to ensure a stable domestic fuel market and to satisfy higher demand tied to the harvest season. The ban has been renewed month-to-month since it was first imposed over the summer. The export curbs come amid repeated Ukrainian strikes on Russian refining infrastructure, which Kyiv has carried out to disrupt Russian fuel production, supply to the front lines, and export revenues. Those attacks have reduced Russian refining throughput and are cited by Moscow as a factor behind the repeated extensions of the export ban. The absence of Russian diesel from international trade has tightened global middle-distillate markets. Before the ban, Russia accounted for roughly 10% of seaborne diesel shipments; removing that supply has coincided with other disruptions in the Middle East, including refinery outages after strikes, which together have limited available distillates. Market effects have been visible in retail prices: limited supplies from Russia and the Middle East have been linked to record-high diesel costs in some markets. The source reported the U.S. average diesel price at $6.41 per gallon as of September 30. Industry commentary cited in the source also noted substantial refinery capacity offline across Asia, the Middle East and Russia, which will take time to restore depending on damage and parts availability. This latest extension maintains pressure on global diesel availability for at least another month and underscores the intersection of military strikes on refining infrastructure and domestic policy measures in shaping fuel markets.