Russia's government has acknowledged a decline in oil production following Ukrainian drone attacks on the country's oil industry facilities.
“Production is now actually slightly lower than at the start of the year,” said Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Thursday.
“This is because some of our oil production facilities are undergoing unscheduled repairs,” he said, without specifying the reason for the disruptions.
Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Russia's energy infrastructure. The drone attacks are aimed at reducing Moscow's oil export revenues and undermining funding for its war economy.
Experts say Russian officials have downplayed the overall impact, even as the country continues to benefit from relatively high global oil prices.
Novak said that intact infrastructure was being used at maximum capacity and that companies were working to restore output to previous levels.
He added that Russia remained committed to meeting its production targets under the OPEC+ framework by the end of the year.
In April, output stood at about 9 million barrels per day - 107,000 barrels below March levels and 580,000 barrels under its quota.
Addressing rising fuel prices that have drawn public concern, Novak said the situation remained under control and that prices at most petrol stations were broadly in line with inflation.
Russian media, however, have reported cases where price increases exceeded 10%.
