Russian LNG exports rose by 8.6% between January and April to 11.4 mill tonnes from the same period last year, according to preliminary LSEG data.
This was due to supplies from the Arctic LNG 2 project, which reached 1 mill tonnes in the first four months of this year.
US sanctions against Moscow over the Ukraine conflict have constrained Russian LNG exports, particularly from Arctic LNG 2, where operations have been hindered owing to difficulty in securing buyers.
In April alone, total Russian exports of LNG rose by 13.2% from a year ago to 2.92 mill tonnes.
Data also showed that Russian LNG exports to Europe during the period jumped 20.8% year-on-year to 6.4 mill tonnes. In April, they rose to around 1.6 mill tonnes from 1.2 mill tons a year earlier.
Total exports from NOVATEK's Yamal LNG plant in the period fell by 1.5% y-o-y to 6.5 mill tonnes.
Meanwhile, the Gazprom-controlled Sakhalin-2, plant exported 3.7 mill tonnes in the first four months of 2026, up from 3.6 mill tonnes during the same period last year.
