Russian Federal Anti-Monopoly Service launches proceedings against Rusal after company fails to heed warning on changing pricing for domestic market

MOSCOW. July 15 (Interfax) - The Russian Federal Anti-Monopoly Service (FAS) has launched legal proceedings against Rusal due to the company's failure to heed warnings regarding changes to pricing on the domestic market, and the Rusal group will be charged a turnover fine if found guilty by the court, the FAS said in a statement.

In March, the FAS issued a warning to Rusal on the necessity of correcting its pricing formula for the domestic market. Rusal subsequently applied twice to extend the deadline for acting on the warning; however, the FAS said that the company never took any action. In 2025, the FAS recommended that Rusal, in light of its dominant position on the market, develop a trade and sales policy in order to reduce the risk of violating anti-monopoly legislation, but the company still has not done so.

"The Russian FAS has thus launched anti-monopoly proceedings against the company on the grounds of its imposition of unprofitable conditions on Russian processing enterprises," the FAS said in its statement.

In issuing the warning, the FAS demanded that Rusal change the terms in its aluminum supply contracts to exclude provisions which are unfavorable for Russian consumers. In its pricing formula for Russian consumers, the Rusal group had included a regional premium based on an indicator from the European segment of the global aluminum market, even though Russian aluminum is currently being exported predominantly to Asian markets. "This pricing model contains aspects which violate anti-monopoly legislation, placing Russian processing companies at a disadvantage - Russian enterprises have been paying more for aluminum than foreign enterprises," the FAS said.

"The price of aluminum has a knock-on effect on the cost of a wide range of goods - from packaging to construction materials and products for electricity. Balancing the interests of the producer and consumers also remains a key precondition for the stable technological development of related industries and the state as a whole," the FAS said.

Rusal disputed the FAS acts in the Arbitration Court of Moscow. The company believes that they contradict the law on competition, Rusal CEO Yevgeny Nikitin said. He said that the company would be required to designate a separate group of clients for which different prices would be set. Rusal has been waiting for clarification on this point from the Industry and Trade Ministry, Economy Development Ministry and FAS.