MOSCOW, May 27 (Reuters) - Russia's largest gold producer Polyus said on Thursday that its first-quarter core earnings rose by 25% year-on-year to $739 million due to higher gold sales and stronger global prices for the precious metal.

Its revenue rose by 18% to $1.0 billion, the company said in a statement, adding that it was on track to spend $1.0-$1.1 billion on its capital expenditures in 2021. (Reporting by Polina Devitt and Anastasia Lyrchikova; Editing by Jan Harvey)