Russia's coal exports climb 18% in June as Asian demand rebounds

June shipments reach 20.6 million tonnes

Russian coal exports rose 18% year-on-year in June 2026 to 20.6 million tonnes, according to a review by the Center for Price Indices (CPI) cited by the Russian business daily Vedomosti. The figure marks a clear recovery in overseas sales after a subdued 2025, when a surplus of coal on the global market pushed prices lower and squeezed the margins on Russian shipments.

The CPI review attributed the June increase primarily to a substantial rise in deliveries to India and to continued strong buying interest from purchasers across Southeast Asia. Together, those markets absorbed the additional tonnage that Russian producers directed abroad during the month.

India drives the monthly gain

Shipments to India stood out as the single largest contributor to growth. Exports to the country jumped 48% year-on-year in June to 3.5 million tonnes, far outpacing the overall 18% increase and confirming India's growing weight as a destination for Russian coal. Demand elsewhere in Southeast Asia held firm, reinforcing the eastward orientation of Russian coal trade.

Prices recover after the 2025 surplus

CPI Director Evgeny Grachev told Vedomosti that an improvement in price conditions on the coal market was the main factor behind the sharp rise in exports in June. After the price decline recorded last year — the result of excess supply on the market — quotations began to recover over the course of 2026.

Grachev said the rebound in prices this year was supported by two developments on the supply side. The first was the risk of reduced coal supply from Indonesia, one of the world's largest thermal coal exporters. The second was a fall in Chinese production in June, triggered by safety inspections at coal enterprises. Both factors tightened the volume of coal available on the market and helped lift prices, improving the economics of Russian exports and encouraging producers to raise shipments.

LPG exports also shifting east

The redirection of Russian energy flows toward Asian buyers is not limited to coal. Vedomosti earlier reported that Russian exports of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to Asia, including Turkey, rose 1.5 times year-on-year in the first four months of 2026, reaching 1.3 million tonnes. That increase was driven mainly by higher volumes shipped to China and to Central Asian countries, underlining a broader reorientation of Russian energy exports toward markets in the east.