Russia is pumping nearly 10% less oil than before it invaded Ukraine, satellite imagery suggests

Satellite imagery shows that Russia is pumping less oil than before it invaded Ukraine.

According to data from OilX shared with Insider, Russian oil production fell to 10 million barrels a day on average between April 1 and 19th, less than the 11 million seen in March and the 11.1 million seen in February. Between February and April the decline was 9%.

OilX uses imagery from NASA satellites to track the amount of light emitted from oil derricks as they burn excess natural gas in a process known as flaring. Light emissions show whether less oil is being pumped or not.

The US has banned Russian energy imports because of the invasion of Ukraine. Germany, the leading economy in the bloc, has pledged to phase out their use of Russian energy, despite the fact that the European Union relies heavily on Russian oil and gas.

OilX said that Russian oil production was the lowest since September 2020. The average Russian oil production for the month of April will be about 10 million barrels a day, according to OilX.

According to the OilX figures, Russian oil exports fell 25% in the week to April 15, with revenue dropping to $181 million from $240 million.

In an interview with The Observer, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's top economic adviser said that Ukraine will prosecute traders of Russian oil and gas.

According to the International Energy Agency, Russia supplied about one-third of the EU and UK's natural gas last year.

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Russia has been shipping oil with destination unknown labels, obscuring the origin of the oil for buyers looking to continue doing business with Moscow.