Putin restricts access to data on Russian refineries and energy exports

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree restricting access to a significant array of information about the operation of Russia's fuel and energy complex. The restrictions cover data on refinery operations, energy exports, supply routes, and exchange fuel sales.

Decree No. 686, dated September 28, was published on Russia's official legal information portal. The document came into force on the day it was signed.

Specifically, access is restricted to information on volumes of raw material processing and production output at Russian refineries. The restrictions also cover data on planned sales volumes of certain petroleum products and actual volumes of transactions for the sale of gasoline and diesel fuel on exchange trading. 

A separate large block concerns exports. Access is now restricted to data on the names and quantities of goods exported from Russia, their prices, sellers and buyers, delivery destinations and transportation routes. The list also includes contract settlement terms, information about transport, sea terminals, and operators involved in product shipments.

Moreover, the dissemination of aggregated customs statistics on exports is restricted. Thus, the new rules cover not only refinery production indicators but also a significant portion of information that allowed tracking the volumes, destinations, and logistics of Russian energy exports.

The decree explicitly prohibits the dissemination of information on the list through mass media and the internet. An exception is provided for information that legal entities themselves disclose about their own activities. The Russian government has also been instructed to determine the procedure for handling such data in state information systems.

The decree itself does not explain the reasons for introducing the new restrictions.