Decrease in oil and gas processing in Russia leads to sulphur shortage, - intelligence
Against the backdrop of declining oil and gas processing, Russian companies are losing the ability to produce sufficient volumes of technical sulphur, a key raw material for the chemical industry.
This was reported by the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, according to Censor.NET.
According to intelligence reports, the Russian government has imposed a ban on the export of technical sulphur until the end of the year in order to maintain fertiliser production and avoid a shortage of critical materials.
The ban covers all basic forms of the substance – liquid, granulated and lumpy.
"Formally, the decision is explained by 'food security', but it indicates deepening problems in the Russian chemical industry," the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine noted.
Despite being one of the world's largest sulphur producers, Russia's sulphur production has fallen by 11.2% since the beginning of the year to 3.17 million tonnes. This is due to a decline in oil and gas processing, which is where most technical sulphur is obtained.
Due to the shortage, Russia was forced to import about 35,000 tonnes of sulphur in October at a price of $390 per tonne. This indicates the inability of the domestic market to meet demand and an increase in production costs.
The new restrictions may increase pressure on Russian fertiliser producers and traders, who will lose part of their foreign currency earnings. Experts believe that, given current trends, the sulphur shortage could become systemic, and the efficiency of Russian industry could decline even further.
We previously reported that Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil refineries had boosted the profits of Western oil giants.
According to the Kpler platform, in September, exports of petroleum products from Russia by sea fell by 500,000 barrels per day from a 2025 high to about 2 million barrels per day, the lowest level in five years.
