Putin restricts publication of Russian refinery, energy data amid Ukrainian strikes
Limiting the dissemination of information on export volumes, buyers, transport routes and terminals can make it more difficult for governments and researchers to track Russian energy flows and identify potential sanctions evasion.
On September 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree restricting access to information regarding Russian oil refineries and energy exports, as Ukraine escalates its campaign against Russia's energy infrastructure. The decree, which was published on Russia's official legal information portal, limits access to data on the volume of oil processed and manufactured by individual refineries, as well as a wide range of related information concerning energy exports.
This includes refined product types, export quantities, pricing, and the entire supply chain involving sellers, buyers, and intermediaries, along with transportation routes, terminals, and storage locations. Furthermore, the decree covers details about vehicles used for raw material transportation, delivery dates, and export operations.
According to the decree, dissemination of restricted information through media or online channels is prohibited unless explicitly disclosed by the involved company. Customs data will also be restricted. Putin granted the Russian government a 10-day window to identify the specific products to be subject to these restrictions. Reuters noted that the decree aims to complicate the enforcement of Western sanctions against Russia by making it harder to track energy flows and identify potential sanctions evasion.
Russia has a history of limiting access to energy-sector information, including crude oil production data, due to the expansion of Western sanctions targeting the country's energy industry since its annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The latest restrictions come amid Ukraine's intensified long-range attacks on Russian oil infrastructure, targeting refineries, depots, and other facilities that Ukraine claims support Moscow's war efforts.
Ukraine's General Staff reported on September 21 that repeated Ukrainian strikes had crippled 45% of Russia's total oil refining capacity, although this figure could not be independently verified by the Kyiv Independent. A fire at the Pavlovskaya oil depot in Russia's Krasnodar Krai region was reported overnight on September 28, following a large-scale drone attack in the area.
Two days prior, Ukrainian forces struck the Ilsky oil refinery in Krasnodar Krai, causing a fire at the facility. Ukraine's General Staff later confirmed this attack.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
