Support The Moscow Times!

Russian Gas Exports Sink by 25% Despite Rise in Oil Sales

Gazprom

Russia announced on Monday that its gas exports plummeted by 25% in 2022 after the Ukraine conflict brought turmoil to Moscow's ties with key buyers in Europe.

The Kremlin's decision to invade Ukraine in February last year was met with a flurry of sanctions imposed by the United States and Europe, despite the fact that Europe was heavily reliant on Russia to meet its energy needs.

Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak announced the figures and attributed the fall in gas exports to "the refusal of European countries to buy Russian gas."

The European Union, once the largest buyer of Russian gas, has drastically reduced its imports during 2022.

In response to the Russian intervention in Ukraine, Germany scrapped the approval for the recently completed Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which would have deepened European reliance on Russian gas supplies.

In September explosions on sections of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines under the Baltic Sea saw Washington and Moscow trade blame over the incident.

Novak, writing in the specialist journal "Energy Policy," also attributed the fall in exports to what he called the "sabotage" of the pipelines.

"Gas production in 2022 totaled 673.8 bcm. Exports decreased by 25.1% to 184.4 bcm," Novak said.

He said that while gas deliveries to Europe had dropped off sharply, those to new buyers, in particular China, were rising rapidly.

"The record amount of gas supplied per day by Russia through the Power of Siberia pipeline was beaten more than once," Novak said.

"As a result, gas supplies to China via the Power of Siberia increased by 48% and reached a historical maximum of 15.4 bcm."

He also said that Russian oil exports had increased 7.6% in 2022 compared to a year earlier.

Novak said that going forward Russia was working to pivot its energy exports to countries that had not imposed sanctions on Moscow or criticized the Kremlin's offensive in Ukraine. 

"Today we continue to seek and find new markets. This year, we plan to export more than 80% of oil exports and 75% oil products to friendly countries," Novak said.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more