India's Kaveri engine clears Russia trials, set for Ghatak stealth UCAV integration

Russia's recent oil trade has taken an ironic turn, as the country is importing gasoline from India. This comes despite Russia being a major exporter of crude oil and refined petroleum products. According to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), Russia imported a record 172,000 tonnes of oil products in August 2026, with nearly 70% of those coming from India.

India remains Russia's single largest supplier of crude oil, with imports hitting new highs due to the US-Iran war disrupting oil supply from the Middle East. In July 2026, India's imports of Russian crude stood at a record high. Russia's oil industry has been affected by refinery outages and infrastructure disruptions, forcing the country to import products like gasoline.

Russia is importing refined petroleum products from India, with gasoline accounting for 74% of Russia's total oil-product imports in August. The country imports this gasoline from a refinery partly owned by Rosneft, Russia's state-owned oil company. This unusual trade flow involves Russian crude being refined into gasoline at a refinery Russia partly owns and then shipped back to Russia.

Other countries also supplied refined products to Russia, including Egypt, South Korea, and Turkey. However, the primary supplier is Nayara Energy, which is partly owned by Rosneft. The logistics involved are extensive, with each gasoline cargo transferred between vessels in a ship-to-ship operation and unloaded at Russia's Arctic port of Beloe More.

While the scale of Russia's oil products imports is not colossal, the country's ability to convert crude into usable fuels has been constrained. This import of gasoline highlights the impact of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia's domestic refining capacity. Some additional gasoline might have reached Russia indirectly from India, possibly transported via transit hubs like Morocco's Tangier and Turkey's Mersin terminals.