Key facts
- Russia has classified refinery production figures, export contracts, and tanker routes.
- President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on September 28 restricting access to energy data.
- The Kremlin cited unfriendly actions by Washington and its allies as the reason for the secrecy.
- Data on refining volumes, contract details, customs statistics, and planned sales volumes are now restricted.
- The decree aims to make Western sanctions against Russia more difficult to enforce.
- Ukraine has intensified attacks on Russian oil infrastructure, with claims of significant damage to refining capacity.
Russia has significantly tightened secrecy around its energy sector, classifying data on refinery production, export contracts, and tanker routes under a decree signed by President Vladimir Putin on September 28. The Kremlin stated that unfriendly actions by the US and its allies necessitated the move, which took effect immediately. The government has 10 days to specify which product codes are covered by the new restrictions.
The decree prohibits the dissemination of information on refining volumes, contract details including product names, quantities, prices, buyers, sellers, payment terms, and shipping routes. Customs statistics and planned sales volumes on commodity exchanges are also now classified. This information cannot be published through mass media or internet networks unless a company voluntarily discloses its own figures.
This move follows previous classifications of crude output data in 2014 after the annexation of Crimea and again in 2022 after the invasion of Ukraine. The latest decree extends these restrictions to refining and logistics data, with the stated aim of hindering Western governments' ability to monitor and enforce the price cap on Russian oil.
The timing of the decree coincides with a difficult period for Russian refineries. Since the start of 2026, Ukrainian drones have targeted Russian refineries approximately every three days. According to IEA figures, national refinery throughput stood at 3.8 million barrels a day in June 2026, a 30% decrease from the previous year and the lowest level in over two decades. Gasoline output has dropped by about 20% and diesel by nearly 30%, leading to reported fuel shortages in 92% of Russian regions. Despite these figures, officials in Moscow have described the damage as manageable and stated that fuel supply has improved.