“Current production is indeed slightly lower than at the beginning of the year. This is due to unplanned maintenance currently underway at several of our oil refineries,” said Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak.
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The agency noted that his statement was the first time a high-ranking Russian official acknowledged that oil production had decreased this year.
Russia, the world’s third-largest oil producer, stopped publishing official production statistics in April 2023.
A. Novak did not specify the reason for the alleged maintenance, but Reuters recalled that Ukraine has significantly intensified attacks on Russian oil refineries in recent months.
According to the International Energy Agency, Russia’s oil production in April decreased by 460 thousand barrels per day compared to last year, amounting to about 8.8 million barrels per day.
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At the beginning of the week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that since January this year, the Ukrainian armed forces had struck 15 Russian oil refineries.
He added that in May, almost 40% of Russia’s primary oil refining capacity was put out of action.
“This is significant. Russia has already banned the export of aviation fuel and gasoline from its territory, and is now considering a ban on diesel exports. For a state that was until recently called a gas station, even the loss of such revenue is an important event and a significant loss,” Zelenskyy emphasized.
The total number of strikes on oil refineries and oil infrastructure reaches 30, the highest since the start of the war, exceeding the previous record set in December when 26 oil facilities, including 15 oil refineries, were attacked.
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