Russian President Vladimir Putin has endorsed a proposal to establish a nationwide network of small oil refineries as Russia seeks to reinforce domestic fuel supplies amid continued Ukrainian attacks on the country's major refining infrastructure.

The proposal was discussed during a government meeting, The Caspian Post reports, citing the Kremlin's press service.

The initiative was presented by Alexander Osipov, governor of Zabaykalsky Krai, who argued that expanding the number of smaller refining facilities would help address fuel supply challenges while reducing the vulnerability of Russia's energy infrastructure to attacks.

Putin supported the proposal, emphasizing that a more decentralized refining system would be more difficult to disrupt.

“The broader the network, the harder it is to inflict damage on it,” the Russian president said.

He instructed the government to explore the possibility of allowing small and medium-sized enterprises to produce gasoline, saying such a measure could help alleviate fuel shortages and strengthen the resilience of the country's domestic fuel supply system.

During the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said the government had already introduced measures aimed at stabilizing the fuel market, including postponing scheduled maintenance at several oil refineries and bringing additional refining capacity into operation.