In April 2026, the export price of Russian Urals crude oil at Russian ports significantly surpassed that of ESPO crude oil, according to data from Argus, the Price Index Center (PIC), and consulting firm NEFT Research. The PIC notes that during the week of April 13 to 19, Urals traded at $95.4/barrel on a FOB Primorsk basis (Leningrad region) and $94.4/barrel on a FOB Novorossiysk basis, whereas ESPO was priced at $89.6/barrel on a FOB Kozmino basis (Primorsky Krai). This indicates that Urals was $4.8 to $5.8/barrel more expensive.

Data from NEFT Research reported that the average price of Urals from April 13 to 17 was $91.4/barrel in Novorossiysk and $93.2/barrel in Primorsk, while ESPO averaged $91.1/barrel. The previous week, Urals had been priced $12 to $14/barrel higher; however, according to the PIC, it was $15 to $16/barrel more expensive.

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