Russia turns to India to meet petrol demand after oil infrastructure takes a hit in Ukraine strikes

Russia turns to India to meet petrol demand after oil infrastructure takes a hit in Ukraine strikes While a bulk of Russian imports of petrol are from neighbouring Belarus and Kazakhstan, India is estimated to have dispatched over 1 million barrels over.

Key points

• 5 min read New Delhi Aug 27, 2026 05: 20 AM IST.
• Sukalp Sharma is a Deputy Associate Editor with The Indian Express and writes on a host of subjects and sectors, notably energy and aviation.
• Two Indian ships among 45 blacklisted by Iran for Strait of Hormuz 'violations'.
• This marks a change in the energy relationship between Moscow and New Delhi.
• Repeated Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil refineries, combined with routine refinery maintenance, solid summer season demand, and logistical bottlenecks, have compounded the difficulties for Moscow.

5 min read New Delhi Aug 27, 2026 05: 20 AM IST. Imports 1 million barrels in two months. (File Photo).

THE DAMAGE caused by Ukr­ainian strikes to its oil refining infrastructure has forced Russia – one of the biggest crude producers and refiners globally – to import gasoline, or petrol, including from faraway India.

While a bulk of Russian imports of petrol are from neighbouring Belarus and Kazakhstan, India is estimated to have dispatched over 1 million barrels over June and July, ship tracking data indicates. According to experts, this is the first instance of Russia importing petrol from India.

Although data is not yet available, trade sources remarked the trend has probable continued in August as well. Nayara Energy's Vadinar refinery – which has significant Russian shareholding – is the main Indian supplier, they remarked. Meanwhile, sizeable volumes of Russian crude continue to arrive in India to feed Indian refineries, including the Nayara Energy facility. It means that some of the gasoline being supplied to Russia is being derived from its own oil refined in India.

This marks a change in the energy relationship between Moscow and New Delhi. For regarding four years now, India has been one of the top two buyers of Russian crude, the other being China. Russian oil, often sold at attractive rates after Western sanctions disrupted Moscow's traditional European markets after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, now accounts for the lion's share in India's crude import basket.

Repeated Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil refineries, combined with routine refinery maintenance, solid summer season demand, and logistical bottlenecks, have compounded the difficulties for Moscow. Domestic supplies of both petrol and diesel are impacted, but the country is still relatively comfortable with regard to diesel as its refining system is geared to produce far more diesel than its consumption.

Nevertheless, Moscow has responded with restrictions on diesel exports as well in a bid to have a comfortable cushion ahead of the winter season. Petrol, nevertheless, is a different story. Exports are out of the question and reports indicate that limits have been placed on the volume of petrol that can be supplied to a vehicle throughout numerous fuel stations in various regions of the country.

"Gasoline has been particularly exposed. Under normal operating conditions, Russian refinery output broadly covers domestic demand with only limited surplus available for exports, leaving the market with relatively little buffer when refinery throughput falls.With refinery runs remaining depressed, Russia has responded by restricting product exports and played with product specifications throughout a number of barrels to protect domestic availability, " Sumit Ritolia, modelling and refining manager at commodity market analytics provider Kpler informed The Indian Express.

As per Kpler data, regarding 12, 000 barrels per day (bps) of gasoline was exported from India to Russia in June, with the volumes jumping to concerning 21, 000 bpd in July. Taken together, this amounts to close to a million barrels of petrol being sent to Russia during the two months. Additionally, some extra volumes are anticipated to have reached Russia from India through a series of ship-t0-ship transfers and vessels with undeclared destinations.

"Most of the imported gasoline has come from Belarus. One of Belarus's two refineries is 42% owned by a Russian consortium, and all the crude processed at both of them comes from Russia. Kazakhstan would be another nearby option, but it cannot supply significant volumes.(it) is a net importer. The seaborne trade is more interesting. So far, Russia appears to have received five gasoline cargoes.Three of them were cargoes of around 320, 000-350, 000 barrels from Vadinar, " Abu Dhabi-based energy analyst Natalia Katona informed this newspaper.

Although its original source is unclear as Morocco does not have an active refinery, another cargo arrived via Morocco's Tangier terminal. Another cargo of around 250, 000 barrels was shipped from Turkey's Mersin port. According to Katona, while there is no refinery near Mersin, a 500, 000-barrel cargo from India had been discharged there concerning a week earlier. "I would therefore not be surprised if both the Tangier and Mersin cargoes were also of Indian origin, " she remarked.

According to Experts and trade sources, going forward, Russia is anticipated to start importing petrol from Turkish refineries as well, although India would certainly remain an significant source for Russia during the shortage, given that Indian refineries have surplus volumes available for export. Nayara Energy, in particular, has petrol created from Russian crude and appears willing to sell it to anyone ready to purchase it, given that its refinery is under European Union (EU) sanctions, according to Katona. © The Indian Express Pvt Ltd.

Sukalp Sharma is a Deputy Associate Editor with The Indian Express and writes on a host of subjects and sectors, notably energy and aviation. He has over 16 years of experience in journalism with a body of work spanning areas like politics, development, equity markets, corporates, trade, and economic policy. He considers himself an above-average photographer. It goes well with his love for travel.

In short, russia turns to India to meet petrol demand after oil infrastructure takes is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.