The Russian government has imposed a ban on the export of raw materials for the production of explosives from Russia.

The ban on the export of raw materials for explosives production will last for three months. It applies to six petrochemicals, including toluene, the basic reagent for TNT.

The ban on the export of key petrochemical products outside the Eurasian Economic Union will last for 3 months, сообщает Interfax. The list includes toluene, coal and petroleum benzene, orthoxylene, paraxylene, and phenol.

Most of these substances are in demand in the civilian sector, from paint and varnish production to pharmaceuticals and packaging. Toluene is critical to the defense industry, serving as the base reagent for synthesizing TNT, which is used in aerial bombs, missile warheads, artillery shells, and mines.

The official wording of the decision is “maintaining a stable supply of raw materials to Russian industrial enterprises.”

The restrictions are being introduced amid a series of Ukrainian drone strikes on rear-area military-industrial facilities, specifically the Combine Kamenskyon Rostov region и Permian Azot plant.