Russia ranked as the world’s fourth-largest producer of liquefied natural gas in 2025, even as international sanctions forced the country to push back its ambition to produce 100 million tonnes of LNG annually by the end of the decade.

Russian companies produced 33 million tonnes of LNG in 2025, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said, giving the country about 7% of global LNG output. Production declined from 34.7 million tonnes in 2024, largely due to extensive maintenance work at LNG facilities during the summer months.

Despite the setback, Moscow intends to continue expanding the sector, which Novak described as one of the key growth drivers of the domestic energy industry. Sanctions, however, have delayed Russia’s long-term LNG expansion plans by restricting access to Western technology and equipment.

To offset these constraints, the government is accelerating the development of domestic LNG technologies. Novak said Russia has replaced 21 categories of previously imported equipment, including cryogenic pumps, compressors, shut-off and control valves, and other critical components used in liquefaction plants.

At the same time, Russia is redirecting gas exports toward Asian markets. Pipeline deliveries to China via the Power of Siberia reached 38 billion cubic meters (bcm) in 2025, achieving the pipeline’s full design capacity. Overall, exports to so-called “friendly” countries — those that have not imposed economic sanctions — accounted for about 70% of Russia’s total gas exports.

The picture is more challenging for LNG. Only 25% of Russia’s LNG volumes in 2025 were sold to friendly countries, highlighting continued exposure to sanctions-related trading and logistics risks.

Domestic demand has emerged as another pillar supporting the gas industry. Russian gas consumption reached 522 bcm in 2025, according to government data — about 1.5 times higher than consumption in the European Union, and roughly equivalent to combined gas demand in China and India.

Export diversification and rising domestic consumption have become central to Russia’s gas strategy as sales to Europe — once its most profitable market — continue to decline. The European Union recently approved legislation to halt imports of Russian LNG by the end of 2026 and ban pipeline gas imports by late 2027. E.U. energy ministers adopted the measures on January 26, 2026, with Slovakia and Hungary voting against and Bulgaria abstaining.