Russia Turns to India for Petrol Amid Ukraine Attacks
Russia has started importing petrol from India, marking the first time Moscow has sourced the motor fuel from the South Asian nation, according to Kpler data. The move is a response to severe local shortages triggered by Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries.
The first shipment arrived on August 5, and more may be on the way. Indian processor Nayara Energy, backed by Rosneft, Russia‘s top oil producer, has emerged as a key supplier of the fuel. The petrol is being transported via transfers off Egypt to Russian-linked tankers.
“The emergence of Indian barrels is particularly notable,” said Sumit Ritolia, lead analyst at Kpler. “The severity of the current domestic petrol imbalance, and the extent to which lower refinery runs are reshaping Russia‘s traditional product trade flows” is highlighted by these imports, he added.
Global Energy Market Under Pressure
The global energy market is coping with the fallout from two major conflicts: Kyiv’s assault on Russian refineries and the US-Iran standoff in the Middle East. The combined disruptions have tightened fuel markets, prompting Moscow to ban petrol and diesel exports to prioritize local users.
Russia‘s crude-processing rates were running at 3.6 million barrels a day in July, about a third below the seasonal norm, according to EA Analytics. Since then, Kyiv has intensified strikes, hitting five processors last week and at least two more this week.
India’s Nayara Energy Plays Key Role
Nayara Energy, which was sanctioned by the European Union in July 2025, has been relying on so-called dark-fleet tankers and trans-shipment operations to receive its crude and export fuels. Its refinery at Vadinar on India‘s west coast also needs to widen its export market after a key buyer, Hindustan Petroleum, recently started producing more of its own fuel in the region.
The inaugural shipment involved Russian-flagged products tanker Cyclone (formerly Agni), which loaded a 42,000-tonne petrol cargo from Vadinar on June 18. The fuel was then transferred to Oman-flagged Garnet at Damietta Port off Egypt’s Mediterranean coast on July 6. That vessel reached Russia in early August.
More petrol may follow. Products tanker Varg loaded nearly 40,000 tonnes of the fuel at Vadinar on July 6 and likely conducted a ship-to-ship transfer at Damietta in late July, according to Kpler.
Original Article: Russia turns to India for petrol as Ukraine pummels refineries — Dailyasianage