Trump's sanctions reduced Russian oil exports via the Baltic Sea by 15%

Russian crude oil exports by sea through Baltic Sea ports fell by 15% in November compared to the October high – this is the first tangible effect of the administration's sanctions Trump against Lukoil and Rosneft, reported Andriy Klymenko, head of the monitoring group of the "Institute of Black Sea Strategic Studies".

According to him, the total volume of crude oil exported from russia's Baltic ports in November was 10.104 million tons. This is 1.78 million tons less than in October, when a record 11.886 million tons were recorded.

The number of tankers carrying russian oil also decreased from 99 in October to 87 in November. Of these, 75 out of 87 tankers were still en route at the time the data was released.

"Yes, this is the first effect of Trump's sanctions on Lukoil and Rosneft on maritime exports – or rather, the 'initial shock effect.' It's too early to draw further conclusions – we'll see the results in December, not before," Klymenko said.

He recalled that the biggest drop was observed in the first 10 days after the sanctions were imposed, when the decline reached 31%. Subsequently, the rate of export reduction slowed down as the "panic subsided" and russian companies began to adapt to the new restrictions.

The Baltic route is the most important for the maritime export of russian oil, accounting for 50% to 60% of the total volume of energy resources exported by sea.

• October 22, United States sanctions were imposed against major Russian oil companies and called on Moscow to immediately agree to a ceasefire.
• According to estimates by the Foreign Intelligence Service, Russia's losses from oil sanctions will reach $50 billion a year. This generally corresponds to the assessments of Western partners, who published President Zelenskyy ($5 billion per month).