Moscow, April 24 (Inditop.com) Russia’s natural gas exports in the first quarter of this year reached 52.1 billion cubic metres, a 120 percent increase year-on-year, the energy ministry said Friday.

Russia exported 15.15 billion cubic metres of gas in March, a 110 percent growth over last March, Xinhua reported.

Hit by the economic crisis, Russia’s gas exports dropped 13.5 percent to 15 billion cubic meters last year, with export income falling 41 percent to 39.4 billion U.S. dollars.

Russia’s oil exports declined 0.9 percent in the first quarter this year to 59.9 million tonnes, the ministry said.