Russia turns to India for petrol as Ukraine attacks disrupt fuel supplies
India's role as a major gasoline supplier to Russia has surged recently, particularly after Ukrainian drone strikes impacted Russian refinery activities. In August, Russian gasoline imports hit unprecedented levels, with India emerging as a central contributor. Much of this gasoline was transported using sanctioned ships and involved intricate transfer practices. Increased crude oil imports from…
Russia has turned to India for gasoline supplies as attacks by Ukrainian drones have crippled fuel production within the country. Moscow imported a record 125,000 barrels of gasoline per day in August, equivalent to around 470,000 tonnes for the month. India was one of three countries providing gasoline to Russia during the period, alongside Turkey and Morocco. The shipments predominantly originated from Nayara Energy's Vadinar refinery in Gujarat, which holds a 50% stake in Rosneft, Russia's state-owned oil company.
India's dependence on Russian crude oil imports has increased since 2022, with the nation purchasing over 2.6 million barrels per day in June and July 2023, up from 1 million bpd in February. The surge in gasoline imports may stem from the fact that Russian crude has been utilized by India's refineries to produce gasoline, which was then shipped back to Russia.
Vortexa reported that nearly 55% of Russia's gasoline imports in August, or approximately 260,000 tonnes, arrived on sanctioned ships. All India-origin gasoline cargoes Russia brought in during August were transported via sanctioned fleets and involved dark ship-to-ship (STS) transfers in the Mediterranean.
Around 40% of Russia's total gasoline imports in August were moved through ship-to-ship transfers, with most of these operations conducted covertly, with vessels turning off their Automatic Identification System (AIS) signals. Drone attacks targeting Russian refineries significantly disrupted domestic fuel production, causing domestic gasoline output to plummet by up to 70%.
This fuel shortage has forced Russia, one of the world's largest crude exporters, to import fuel to meet domestic demand while continuing to ban fuel sales across the country.
Written by urgent.news from Times of India's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
