• Source:JND
HighLights
  1. India now major gasoline supplier to Russia.
  2. Ukrainian drone attacks disrupted Russian fuel production.
  3. Nayara Energy's Vadinar refinery supplied gasoline.

India has emerged as a major supplier of gasoline (petrol) to Russia as repeated Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian refineries have disrupted domestic fuel production and triggered a surge in fuel imports.

According to data from energy analytics firm Vortexa, Russia's seaborne gasoline imports surged to a record of around 125,000 barrels per day (kbd) in August, equivalent to a projected 470,000 tonnes for the month.

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Indian Refiners Supply Up to 1 Million Barrels of Gasoline to Russia

Indian refiners have supplied as much as 1 million barrels of gasoline to Russia over the past two months. According to news agency PTI, citing trade sources, the shipments primarily came from the Vadinar refinery in Gujarat. The facility is operated by Nayara Energy, which is 50 per cent owned by Russia's Rosneft.

India's Russian Crude Oil Imports Hit Record High

Since 2022, India has increasingly pivoted toward Russia to meet the bulk of its crude oil needs, the raw material for making fuels like petrol and diesel. India's purchases of Russian crude oil hit a record high as the conflict in the Gulf squeezed supply from other sources.

India imported over 2.6 million barrels per day of Russian crude in June and July, up from 1 million bpd in February and accounting for more than half of the country's crude imports. It is likely that the fuel exported to Russia may have been made from this Russian crude.

Russia Turns To Imports

Russia, one of the world's largest crude oil exporters, has been forced to import gasoline after Ukrainian drone attacks on its energy infrastructure led to up to a 70 per cent drop in domestic production.

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To plug the supply gap, India, Turkey, and Morocco supplied gasoline to Russia in August. In response to the ongoing shortfall, Moscow has extended its petrol export ban until January 2027. According to Vortexa, Russia is likely to continue importing some gasoline volumes in the near term.

(With Inputs From PTI)


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