MOSCOW (Realist English). Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak explained where Russia found the free volumes of diesel fuel for supplies to the United States. According to him, a surplus has formed in the domestic market: the production capacity of oil refineries is roughly twice domestic consumption.
The numbers
Novak provided specific figures in an interview with the “Vesti” program on the sidelines of Russian Energy Week. Russia consumes approximately 3.5–4 million tonnes of diesel fuel per month. Another approximately 3.5 million tonnes is additionally supplied to the global market.
“Diesel production capacity is twice the needs of the domestic market, so we have enough both for the domestic market and for export supplies,” the deputy prime minister said.
Why the surplus emerged
The reason is the exit of oil refineries from scheduled repairs. As refining recovered, production volumes increased, and a surplus formed in the domestic market. If it is not exported, refineries will have to cut refining due to a lack of storage capacity.
“In order for our refineries not to reduce refining volumes, since there is nowhere to store the surplus, we must supply the volumes to the global market,” Novak explained.
Domestic market priority
The deputy prime minister emphasized that supplying the domestic market remains an unconditional priority. Only surpluses are directed to exports. According to him, this guarantees that supplies to the US will not affect prices at Russian gas stations.
“For us, the priority is supplies of petroleum products to the domestic market, this is not up for discussion, this is the first priority. And only surpluses can be supplied to export markets,” Novak said.
Details of the agreement
The agreement on supplies of Russian diesel to the US and the global market was reached during a phone call between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump on October 9. According to Trump, Russia will supply more than 300,000 tonnes immediately, another 500,000 in November, and 1 million tonnes later, with the possibility of an additional 3 million tonnes. The US Treasury issued a general license authorizing transactions with Russian diesel until April 7, 2027.
Novak’s explanation removes the question of whether exports to the US create a deficit in the domestic market. The deputy prime minister’s answer is built on simple arithmetic: production is twice consumption, and without exports, refineries would have to cut refining. This is not a one-time concession to Washington but a way to maintain refinery utilization after exiting repairs.
However, the question remains open as to how sustainable this surplus is: if part of the capacity was damaged by drone attacks and repairs continue, the balance could change. For now, Novak speaks of readiness to supply up to 3 million tonnes per month — a figure comparable to domestic consumption, which underscores the scale of the free volumes.
