Russia's oil production rose by 2% in the first few days of May, reversing a nearly 1 million barrel per day decline in April. But the uptick could be short-lived as Western resolve to isolate the country’s economy is poised to solidify. Official data seen by Energy Intelligence show that crude oil and condensate production for the first three days of May averaged 10.26 million b/d — an increase of 215,000 b/d over the April average. Refinery throughput also picked up, rising to 5.05 million b/d in the first four days of the month, a gain of 3.7% versus April. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak cited the data in ... (full story)