Russia prepares for falling oil demand
Russia mulls producer support
The Kremlin may change rules to soften the blow of any drop in production
Russia’s oil producers may still have a stay of execution from maximum pain caused by collapsed demand after the Putin’s regime’s invasion on Ukraine in late February. But plans are being considered to try to lessen the blow once its full impact is felt. Delays until all announced bans of Russian oil imports come into force and some success in rerouting volumes that might previously have landed in Europe to more willing Asia-Pacific buyers have taken a portion of the sting out of the demand crunch. And there is also a delay between a slide in demand and the need to throttle back output. “As the Covid-19 pandemic showed, there is about a two-month lag between demand fall and production reduct
Also in this section
13 March 2026
Brussels is again weighing a cap on gas prices amid the Hormuz crisis, but the measure could backfire by deterring the LNG cargoes Europe urgently needs
12 March 2026
Emergency oil stocks provide a last line of defence to oil market shocks, so the IEA’s unprecedented 400m bl release represents something of a double-edged sword
12 March 2026
LPG could rapidly expand access to clean cooking across Africa and prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths from indoor air pollution each year, but infrastructure shortages and regulatory barriers are slowing investment and market growth
11 March 2026
Missiles over Dubai and disruption in Hormuz are testing the emirate’s reputation—and shaking the energy hub at the centre of the Gulf economy
