India becomes key petrol supplier to Russia as refinery attacks bite

India has become a crucial source of gasoline (petrol) for Russia due to attacks on its refineries, according to ship tracking data. Russian fuel imports jumped to a record around 125,000 barrels per day (kbd) in August, equivalent to an estimated 470,000 tonnes for the month, as a result of repeated attacks on refineries, said energy analytics firm Vortexa.

Indian refiners supplied up to 1 million barrels of gasoline in the past two months, mainly from the Vadinar refinery in Gujarat, operated by Nayara Energy, which is half-owned by Russia's Rosneft. Since 2022, India has increasingly turned to Russia to meet its crude oil needs, as the conflict in the Gulf has reduced supply from other sources.

Russia, being one of the largest crude exporters, now imports gasoline following a Ukrainian drone attack on its energy infrastructure, which caused a 70% drop in domestic production. This fuel shortage has prompted Russia to import petroleum products while continuing to impose restrictions on fuel sales. In August, around 55% of Russia's imported gasoline arrived on sanctioned tonnage, and all India-origin gasoline cargoes Russia received in August were carried on sanctioned fleets, involving dark ship-to-ship transfers in the Mediterranean.