ReportUkraine strikes cut 700,000 barrels of diesel daily — prices hit recordsAired September 19, 2026 at 11:01 AM UTCWritten September 19, 2026 at 11:03 AM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:11Ukrainian drones have erased 700,000 barrels of Russian diesel a day.0:15That is most of what the world's second-largest diesel exporter normally sells0:18abroad, and it lands on top of a seven-month war that has squeezed the Strait of0:22Hormuz.0:23Diesel powers the trucks, tractors, freight, and furnaces that move everything, so0:28record prices travel straight into your food, your deliveries, and your heating0:31bill.0:32One report puts the U.S.0:33average at $6.30 a gallon.0:36Another cites a record $6.44.0:38The figures do not agree.0:40So what is actually driving diesel to records, and can the fighting stop it?0:43The drone strikes hit Russia's refining heartland, while the narrow choke point a0:48major share of the world's oil still must cross is under restriction.0:52Two disruptions, one market.0:54700,000 barrels a day.0:56The export capacity these strikes have taken off the global market.0:59Russia's June diesel shipments fell 60% from a year earlier, and the hits have1:03landed about every three days through the first eight months of this year, turning1:07harassment into a sustained drain.1:09The chain runs from drone to pump.1:11hit a refinery, capacity drops, the fuel never gets exported, buyers pay more while1:16the same cut means Russia has less to refine at home, and the lines grow.1:20Three of the six largest refineries are down or slowed and the shortage is showing1:24up at the pump back home where drivers wait in long lines even as the country1:28exports less.1:30The diesel figures do not line up.1:32One report puts the national average at 630.1:35A separate account cites a record 644 with gasoline at 447.1:39They may be an average versus a peak, different days or different sources, and that1:43gap is unresolved.1:45Zelensky has offered a reciprocal stop to the refinery strikes.1:49Trump blames one war and leaves out the other.1:51The Iran conflict his own administration is part of.1:54Putin answers by hitting Ukrainian fuel infrastructure.1:57And the exchange twists upward.1:59So what is driving the record?2:01Two disruptions stacked on one fuel, Ukrainian drones cutting Russian exports and a2:06seven-month Iran war squeezing Hormuz.2:08Both accounts say it is a record.2:10They just disagree on the exact number.2:12And the fighting, Zelensky's offer is on the table.2:15Moscow's retaliation keeps the spiral going and the cost at the pump on the road and2:20in the lines is still climbing.Explore with HeyDexFollow via RSSThe shortThe short ↗Related coverageFollow-upOct 18 10:07 UTCTrump Halts Most New Russia Sanctions Before Promised Diesel Relief Is ProvenBackgroundOct 2 16:32 UTCG7 pledges reserve release after U.S. threatens allies' diesel supply