Putin Restricts Access to Russian Export and Refinery Data

Putin has withheld data on Russian exports and oil refining

Russian President Vladimir Putin has restricted access to information in the fuel and energy sector. This concerns data on exports of Russian goods, supply routes, buyers and carriers, as well as the volumes of oil production and refining at Russian oil refineries.

Vladimir Putin (Photo: Getty Images)

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Under the decree of 28 September, it will no longer be possible to freely access information on the name, quantity and price of exported goods, as well as on sellers and buyers. The restrictions also apply to data on carriers, freight forwarders and insurers involved in shipments, and on payments under export contracts.

Information on vessels carrying goods, container numbers and transport documents is being withheld. The restrictions also extend to data on delivery destinations and routes, places of shipment and transfer of goods, maritime terminals, warehouses and storage yards.

According to RBC, information on the date and time of transactions involving exported goods, as well as customs statistics on the exports of individual companies, has been placed in a separate category.

Access to data on production and processing volumes at Russian oil refineries has also been restricted. From today, it will no longer be possible to obtain information on planned sales volumes of petrol and diesel fuel, or on exchange-traded deals for their sale.

Moscow’s decision comes against the backdrop of new US sanctions against Russia. On the night of 19 September, US President Donald Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 into law, which imposes sanctions and duties on Russia and the largest buyers of its energy resources. The bill, unofficially dubbed the ‘hellish sanctions’, provides for secondary trade measures against countries purchasing Russian oil and gas. Specifically, this involves tariffs of up to 500 per cent on Russian goods entering the US and up to 100 per cent on goods from countries that purchase Russian oil or gas.

Moscow considers the US sanctions to be unlawful. The Russian Embassy in the US has stated that Graham’s bill could also have negative consequences for the US economy.

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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