Ukraine Strikes Russia’s Tuapse Refinery. How Many Refineries Are Out of Commission Around the World?

Ukrainian drone strikes continue to hammer Russian oil infrastructure, with the latest assault on the Tuapse Oil Refinery in Krasnodar Krai marking the third hit on the facility in April alone. Overnight on April 27-28, 2026, drones ignited fires and damaged additional storage tanks, triggering a state of emergency, an oil spill, and direct Kremlin […]

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Is Secretary Bessent Merging the Petrodollar with Argentina-Style Dollar Domination?

In a landmark testimony before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee and follow-up statements, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has outlined a bold new strategy: expanding permanent dollar swap facilities with Gulf and Asian allies to reinforce U.S. dollar dominance amid global energy shocks. This comes as the traditional petrodollar framework—anchored by a 50-year arrangement with Saudi […]

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Demand Destruction in Oil Reports Are Showing Up: What It Means for Consumers, Investors, and the Industry

In the latest OilPrice.com analysis by Irina Slav (published April 27, 2026), warnings about permanent oil demand destruction are pouring in amid the ongoing Middle East conflict. These warnings align directly with a widely discussed X post from commodities trader @CRUDEOIL231 (April 28, 2026), which highlights exponential cumulative shut-ins in the Middle East. The post […]

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Iran appears to have increased flaring to keep the oil and gas fields stable to avoid shut-ins

Satellite observations from the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines reveal a notable divergence in upstream gas flaring trends across the Middle East in early 2026. While countries like Iraq, the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia showed sharp declines in flaring activity amid regional conflict, Iran registered a net increase […]

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