Alexander Novak

Alexander Novak is Russia's Deputy Prime Minister responsible for the energy sector, having served in the role since 2020 after six years as Energy Minister. He is the primary public voice for Russian energy policy decisions and Russia's representative at OPEC+ ministerial meetings, where Moscow's output and pricing positions are formally conveyed.

Novak became the central figure in the Kazakh crude disruption story in late April 2026 when he confirmed that Russia would halt transit of Kazakh oil through the northern branch of the Druzhba pipeline to Germany from 1 May 2026 . The halt was linked to Ukraine's deep-strike campaign against Druzhba infrastructure, which had already struck the Transneft-Privolga and Kaleykino pumping stations. Al Jazeera assessed the combined pipeline strikes as cutting Russian total export capacity by roughly 40% and forcing a 500,000 bpd production cut. Russian average refinery throughput had fallen simultaneously to 4.69 million Barrels Per Day — a 16-year low driven by the same sustained drone campaign .

Novak's dual role as OPEC+ diplomat and domestic energy chief places him at the centre of the financial pressure on Russia's war effort. Russia's National Wealth Fund liquid share was projected to fall to approximately $12.5 billion by year-end 2026 — roughly a quarter of its February value — in part due to the sustained attack on export infrastructure .