Russian crude imports to India rose in May as refiners increased purchases

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India remained the world’s second-largest buyer of Russian fossil fuels in May, importing an estimated 5.8 billion euros ($6.7 billion) worth of Russian hydrocarbons as refiners stepped up purchases of oil from Moscow, the European think tank Center for Energy and Clean Air Research (CREA) said in a report.

Oil accounted for about 83% of India’s €4.8 billion worth of imports from Russia during the month, while petroleum products and coal imports stood at €550 million and €429 million, respectively.

“Total crude oil imports to India recorded an 8% month-on-month increase in May. This can be partly explained by a 21% month-on-month increase in Russian imports,” CREA said.

Some of India’s largest refining hubs have seen a remarkable increase in Russian crude supplies. Offloaded volumes at Gujarat’s Vadinar refinery rose 36% from April levels, while deliveries to the state’s Jamnagar refinery complex rose 14%.

State refiners also expanded purchases after resuming imports earlier this year, according to CREA. The New Mangalore and Visakhapatnam refineries, which stopped importing Russian crude at the end of November 2025, continued to buy Russian crude after resuming purchases in March.

Russian crude shipments to New Mangalore rose 13% month-on-month in May, while imports to Visakhapatnam jumped 42%.

The Paradip refinery on Odisha’s east coast also unloaded its highest volume of Russian crude in two years, underscoring the continued attractiveness of discounted Russian barrels for Indian refiners despite evolving geopolitical and sanctions-related pressures.

India has become one of the biggest buyers of Russian oil since Western sanctions and trade restrictions altered global energy flows following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Indian refiners have been steadily increasing purchases of discounted Russian crude, helping to offset higher energy costs while boosting refining margins and exports of petroleum products.

The latest data suggests that Russian oil continues to make up a significant share of India’s crude oil import basket, even as the country diversifies supplies from West Asia, Africa and the United States.

According to CREA, China bought 50% of Russian oil exports in May, followed by India (36%), Turkey (6%) and the EU (5%).

“As of May 2026, China remained the largest global buyer of Russian fossil fuels, accounting for 38% (€7.0 billion) of Russian export earnings from the top five importers. Crude oil accounted for 69% (€4.8 billion) of Chinese purchases, followed by pipeline gas (€618 million) and finally 525 million LNGEuros (€525 million) The rest of China’s imports consisted of petroleum products (479 million euros).

CREA said that despite an EU ban on imports of petroleum products made from Russian crude from January 21, 2026, 10 shipments of petroleum products from refineries using Russian crude were unloaded at EU ports in May.

“Refineries using Russian oil in India, Turkey, Brunei and Georgia exported €641 million worth of oil products to sanctioned countries in May 2026. Importers included the EU (€174 million), Australia (€275 million), the US (€147 million) and New Zealand (€421 million).

Exports to the US came from Reliance Industries Ltd’s Jamnagar refinery, SOCAR-owned STAR refinery in Turkiye, as well as Tupras Izmit refinery. “In the previous three months, 39% of STAR refinery’s crude oil and 15% of Jamnagar refinery’s crude oil came from Russia,” he added.

Published – 14 Jun 2026 11:27 IST