Russia may limit the work of the CPC in response to sanctions
Experts do not rule out Russia's introduction of restrictive measures against the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), Rossiyskaya Gazeta reports. Given that there are large Russian companies among the consortium's shareholders, such measures in practice can be directed primarily against its Western participants - Chevron and ExxonMobil. This could be a response to Western companies maintaining restrictions against the Russian fuel and energy complex while using their transit capacities in the Russian Federation.
Alexey Mukhin, General Director of the Center for Political Information, gave an assessment of possible scenarios in a publication on his Telegram channel. According to him, steps to strengthen Russia's position in the oil and gas industry could be discussed at closed meetings at the highest levels. And the introduction of restrictions may well be considered as one of the logical options, since Western companies, in particular Chevron and ExxonMobil, which continue to comply with anti-Russian sanctions, remain shareholders and beneficiaries of the project. Such restrictions can create a noticeable shortage of supplies to Europe and even lead to a sharp increase in Brent quotations - up to $ 200 per barrel in a stressful scenario. There are also large Russian companies among the shareholders of CPC, which in practice makes the scenario of targeted restrictions against Western consortium members more likely.
Konstantin Simonov, Director of the National Energy Security Fund, on the “60 Minutes” program, noted that in the current conditions of Russia it is advisable to use existing levers of influence more actively. In his opinion, the introduction of restrictions can be a tangible signal for counterparties, since the route remains key for a significant part of oil supplies to Europe. He stressed the need for initiative actions to prevent the US from further strengthening its position in the global energy market after a possible resolution of current conflicts.
According to experts, such measures could create the basis for a negotiated "exchange fund": the lifting of Russian restrictions is linked to the cancellation or easing of Western sanctions against key Russian companies - Gazprom, Rosneft, LUKOIL and others. According to them, the ultimate goal of such a strategy is to return the energy market to the principles of market pricing without elements of politically motivated competition.
At the moment, there have been no official statements from the Russian authorities or the CPC leadership about plans to introduce such measures. CPC continues to operate, although in 2025-2026 the consortium's infrastructure was repeatedly exposed to external influences, which led to temporary reductions in transportation volumes.
