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Sulphur 422 Jan-Feb 2026

28 January 2026

Sulphur ban extended

RUSSIA

Sulphur ban extended

At the end of December, the Russian government extended its ban on the export of technical sulphur until at least the end of March 2026. The move prolongs the initial restrictions, which were first reported on 4 November and which were set to expire at the end of 2025. The initial ban was widely expected and followed early September drone strikes on the Astrakhan and Orenburg natural-gas plants. The official justification for the extension remains to “stabilise shipments of raw materials to the domestic market” and maintain production volumes for mineral fertilizers, according to the government’s press service Interfax.

The restrictions apply to liquid, granulated, and lump sulphur. A number of exemptions to the ban remain in place. Deliveries to fellow Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) members, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia are still permitted. The decree also clarifies that the restrictions do not apply to humanitarian aid, international transit shipments, or supplies for Russian operations on the Svalbard archipelago. Crucially, the specific exemption for international transit means that shipments of material from other origins, such as Kazakhstan, passing through Russian ports, have not been affected by the ban.

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