The Russian Finance Ministry reports a forecasted negative balance of oil and gas revenues in August. At the same time, payments to oil companies under the fuel damper in July reached 59.9 billion rubles.
The Russian Ministry of Finance predicts that in August the federal budget may lose 12.1 billion rubles in additional oil and gas revenues. According to the department, this is due to the deviation of actual receipts from expected volumes — at the end of July, the difference was 5.9 billion rubles.
Significant budget expenses are related to compensation to oil companies within the framework of the fuel damper mechanism. In July, payments reached 59.9 billion rubles, which is almost twice as much as in June (34.5 billion rubles). The largest amounts were transferred in January (156.4 billion rubles) and February (148.3 billion rubles), after which the volume of payments gradually decreased.
Experts note that the current situation reflects the volatility of oil prices and changes in the conditions for the export of Russian oil. In the coming months, the key factor for the budget will be the dynamics of energy prices and the effectiveness of new commodity supply schemes that allow Western sanctions to be bypassed.