Crude oil production from Russia is expected to boast modest gains in 2009 despite earlier forecasts of a decline in the industry, officials said.
The output of crude oil from Russia for 2008 and the first two months of 2009 fell about 1 %, but March output saw a modest increase of 0.4 % to 9.76 mm bpd. The Russian Energy Ministry said it expects that trend to continue for the rest of the year, with an increase of as much as 2 %.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, however, had predicted declines in crude output to 9.6 mm bpd, or roughly 1.1 %, as the global economic recession trickled over to oil field maintenance and production levels. The report said, however, that declining export duties and a plummeting value of the ruble may have prompted Russian oil producers to ramp up production in an effort to offset any losses.
Russia is the second-largest oil producer in the world and boasts proven oil reserves of around 60 bn barrels.

Source: http://www.upi.com