Russia's sulphur market hit by antitrust probe and plant strike

Russia’s sulphur supply is under renewed pressure after another Ukrainian strike hit the Astrakhan gas processing plant, a facility vital to the country’s fertilizer industry and responsible for over 60% of its sulphur output. The strike on the night of 24 August was confirmed by the Ukrainian General Staff via Interfax-Ukraine. The natural gas plant has a sulphur production capacity of around 5 million t/a.
This latest supply shock coincides with new regulatory scrutiny of the domestic market. Russia’s antitrust body (FAS) has opened a case against four major sulphuric acid producers, Mednogorsk, Sredneuralsk, Svyatogor, and Karabashmed, for allegedly maintaining monopolistically high prices through 2024 and 2025, according to a 27 August report from Kommersant.
This ongoing conflict in the region prompted Moscow to ban sulphur exports to ensure domestic supply; the ban initially came into force on 1 November 2025 and has since been extended until the end of 2026. On 21 August, the government amended this ban, creating a specific allowance for producers to export up to 300,000 tonnes of low-grade material with a permit, in a move to help clear stocks of less desirable product.