Russia’s Oil Exports Near 238 Million Tons in 2025 but Market Shift Presents Challenges

On February 27, 2026, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak reported that Russia’s oil exports in 2025 reached approximately 238 million metric tons, nearly matching the 240 million tons exported in 2024. Despite stable export volumes, Western sanctions have sharply reduced Russia’s traditional European markets, leading to around 80 % of exports being redirected to China and India, while exports to Europe fell to roughly 25 million tons. This significant market shift has altered Russia’s position in global oil trade and, due to increased reliance on Asian buyers, Russia’s Urals crude has faced substantial discounts relative to the global Brent crude benchmark.

The government is now seeking to reduce the pricing gap to about $10 per barrel to ease fiscal strains. Analysts note that while the market realignment helps mitigate some effects of sanctions, the combination of price concessions and higher logistics costs limits its overall support for Russian fiscal revenues and economic growth. These export figures not only reflect structural adjustments within Russia’s energy sector under sanctions but also carry important implications for global supply and crude price dynamics.