Putin bans online publication of fuel export and oil refinery processing data in a bid to make Western sanctions harder to enforce
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree banning the publication of information about fuel and energy sector operations in the media and online.
The ban covers details of export deals, including the parties involved and contract volumes.
Only information disclosed by energy companies themselves is exempt. However, as The Bell notes, the decree sets no penalties for violations.
Reuters reported that the decree was officially presented as a response to “unfriendly” actions by the West and was intended to make it harder to monitor compliance with sanctions.
Russian authorities have repeatedly restricted the publication of fuel export data. Rosstat has not published oil production statistics since 2023 or gasoline production statistics since 2024.
A fuel crisis began in Russia in 2026 amid Ukrainian military attacks on the country’s oil refineries. By various estimates, oil refining in Russia fell to a 20-year low.
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