Russia’s LNG Exports Hit Record 3.42 Million Tonnes in October

LNG exports from Russia hit a record high of 3.42 million tonnes in October

Russian plants shipped 3.42 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas over the month. China accounted for the bulk of the increase in supplies over the 10-month period, although EU countries still account for almost 45 per cent of Russian exports.

Photo: Sergei Krasnoukhov/TASS/dpa/picture alliance

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Liquefied natural gas exports from Russia in January–October 2026 increased by 13.5 per cent compared with the same period in 2025, reaching 28.65 million tonnes. This was reported by neftegaz.ru, citing Kommersant. China accounted for the bulk of the increase in supplies over the 10-month period, although EU countries still account for almost 45 per cent of Russian exports.

In October, supplies to overseas markets set a new monthly record of 3.42 million tonnes of LNG. Of this volume, around 2 million tonnes were exported to Asian markets.

China was the biggest contributor to the growth in Russian LNG exports. Over the 10-month period, exports to China rose by 47 per cent year-on-year, to 8.8 million tonnes. According to estimates by the analytics firm Kpler, the Chinese market accounted for up to 84 per cent of the net increase in Russian exports.

Europe remains the largest consumer

The European Union remains the largest single destination for Russian LNG exports, although its share has fallen from 47.8 per cent to 44.9 per cent, the publication notes.

At the same time, supplies to EU countries over the 10-month period rose by 6.5 per cent to 12.87 million tonnes. The largest European buyers were:

– France – 5.43 million tonnes of LNG from Russia;

– Spain – 2.84 million tonnes (up 39 per cent);

– Belgium – 3 million tonnes (an 8 per cent fall);

– the Netherlands – 1.32 million tonnes;

– Portugal – 0.22 million tonnes.

The destinations for a further 0.6 million tonnes of LNG shipped in October have not yet been determined.

From 1 January 2027, a ban on the purchase of Russian gas under long-term contracts is due to come into force in the EU.

This story was translated with the assistance of artificial intelligence.The translation was also reviewed by the Logos Press editorial team.

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