Information on current Russian losses due to sanctions as of 02.08.2026.
1. Oil refineries and warehouses in Russia continue to burn.
– On the night of August 2, Ukrainian drones attacked several strategic targets in Russia.
– The Saratov oil refinery was hit, with a fire reportedly in the area of the technological facilities. The military airfield “Engels-2” in the Saratov region was also attacked — local residents reported explosions at the airbase.
– Additionally, Russian sources report an attack on the Wildberries logistics center in Novosemeykino, Samara region. Details on the consequences are being clarified.
– On August 1, the SBU reported damage to infrastructure at three oil refineries in Ufa — “Bashneft-UNPZ,” “Bashneft-Novoil,” and “Bashneft-Ufaneftekhim,” which are part of one of Russia’s largest oil refining clusters. The combined capacity of the three enterprises exceeds 23 million tons of oil per year. They produce gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, and other petroleum products used for both the domestic market and supplying the Russian army.
– On the same day, the SBU also reported damage to three “Podlyot-K1” and one “Kasta-2E2” radar stations in the Krasnodar region, which are used for detecting air targets.
2. Budget deficit forces Russia to reduce tax benefits for businesses.
– The Russian authorities are preparing to tighten control over companies that use tax benefits and to withdraw state support from some of them due to a deepening budget crisis.
– Residents of advanced development territories (ADT) and special economic zones (SEZ) will be required to install the AIS “Tax-3” software, which will allow the Federal Tax Service to monitor the financial condition of companies in real-time, identify discrepancies in reporting, and tax optimization schemes.
– The main reason for tightening control is the federal budget deficit, which reached 5.7 trillion rubles for the first half of 2026. Currently, SEZ residents pay only 2% profit tax to the federal budget and up to 13.5% to regional budgets, while their insurance contributions rate is 7.6%.
– Tax benefits cost the Russian budget tens of billions of rubles annually, so the authorities are trying to reduce these losses and increase tax revenues.
3. Regional debts to banks in Russia reach a nine-year high due to budget deficits.
– The debt of Russian regions to commercial banks in July 2026 exceeded 680 billion rubles, the highest figure since 2017, according to the Russian Ministry of Finance.
– Since December 2025, the volume of bank loans to regions has increased by 349 billion rubles. Regions are increasingly resorting to expensive commercial loans to finance current expenses.
– Unlike state loans, bank loans have higher interest rates, increasing the debt burden on local budgets.
4. North Korea’s economy grew by 3.5% thanks to military cooperation with Russia and trade with China.
– North Korea’s economy grew by 3.5% in 2025, marking the third consecutive year of growth over 3%, according to estimates by the Bank of Korea.
– According to the regulator, the main factors were expanded economic cooperation with Russia, increased trade with China, and government support for infrastructure projects.
– North Korea’s industrial production grew by 6.6%. The total volume of foreign trade increased by 16% to $3.13 billion. Exports grew by 30% to $470 million, while imports increased by 13.9% to $2.66 billion.
– The Bank of Korea noted that the growth in production was largely driven by the export of North Korean weapons, which stimulated all industrial production chains.
– Additional contributions came from an increase in Russian tourists, the development of transport links, and increased income from North Korean workers abroad and military personnel sent by North Korea to support Russia’s war against Ukraine.
5. Russia wants to process its oil at Kazakhstan’s refineries due to a lack of domestic capacity.
– Kazakhstan is negotiating with Russia to process Russian oil at its refineries. The resulting gasoline, diesel fuel, and other petroleum products are planned to be sold on the domestic market of Kazakhstan, with some exported back to Russia.
– The parties are discussing processing Russian-origin oil with subsequent sale of finished products in Kazakhstan and partial supply to Russia.
– This scheme will allow Russia to use Kazakhstan’s available refining capacity to compensate for the fuel shortage in the domestic market, which arose after a series of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian refineries.
