MOSCOW, Russia / Eurasian Newswire / – Russia’s total gas production rose 3.3% to 495.4 billion cubic metres in the first nine months of 2026, official statistics showed. The Ministry of Finance separately reported that dividend payments had brought 722 billion roubles into the federal budget since the start of the year. The dividends are based on companies’ results for 2025. Both sets of figures were released on October 29.
Production of combustible natural gas increased by 3.6% to 420 billion cubic metres between January and September, according to the Federal State Statistics Service. Associated petroleum gas output declined slightly, by 0.6%, to 75.4 billion cubic metres. This type of gas is produced as a by-product of oil extraction. A year earlier, Russia’s total gas output in the first nine months stood at 479.6 billion cubic metres, down 4% at the time.
The increase follows a weak 2025, when total gas production fell 3.2% to 663.3 billion cubic metres, TASS reported. Growth has continued through 2026. In the first eight months, output rose 3.4% to 446.5 billion cubic metres, and liquefied natural gas production climbed 13.7% to 23.1 million tonnes. Deliveries of Russian LNG and pipeline gas to the European Union also rose in the first half of the year.
Dividends bring 722 billion roubles to budget
The Finance Ministry said most dividend payments reached the budget during the summer months. The main sources were the financial, oil and gas and transport sectors. The ministry expects dividend revenue to rise gradually to 807.6 billion roubles in 2026. It sees the figure reaching 985.6 billion roubles by 2029. Sberbank, Russia’s largest lender, accounts for a major share, with 397.5 billion roubles included in the 2026 draft budget.
Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said on October 21 that dividends from state-linked companies would exceed 800 billion roubles in 2026, according to Izvestia. That would be almost 100 billion roubles above plan, he said. Dividend income remains below the 2025 level. Deputy Finance Minister Alexei Moiseev said in December 2025 that companies with state participation would transfer more than 1.1 trillion roubles to the budget for that year.
Draft budget sees deficit at 3.2% of GDP
Russia’s draft federal budget for 2027 to 2029 projects dividend revenue of 838.4 billion roubles in 2027 and 914 billion roubles in 2028, TASS reported. The documents put this year’s budget deficit at 7.335 trillion roubles, or 3.2% of gross domestic product. Oil and gas revenues are forecast at 7 trillion roubles in 2027. The 2027 dividend forecast is about 4% above the expected 2026 figure. The draft budget has been submitted to the State Duma for approval.
The Ministry of Economic Development expects total gas production to reach 688.4 billion cubic metres in 2026. Its forecasts rise to 711.3 billion cubic metres in 2027 and 731.9 billion cubic metres in 2028. The International Energy Agency has projected a 3% rise in Russian output this year, to 683 billion cubic metres. Nine-month production in 2026 was 15.8 billion cubic metres higher than a year earlier. Energy companies remain among the main sources of dividend income for the state.