India boosts Russian oil imports despite US pressure
3 Min Read
India spent $2.9 billion on Russian crude oil in October 2025, maintaining its position as the second-largest buyer after China, even as the US imposed sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil and slapped tariffs on Indian imports.
-
Illustrative: The sun sets behind an idle pump jack near Karnes City, USA, on April 8, 2020. (AP)
India retained its position as the second-largest buyer of Russian crude oil in October 2025, trailing only China, according to data released by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). The development comes amid tightening US sanctions on Russian energy exports and rising tariffs on Indian imports.
The CREA’s monthly fossil fuel export analysis, published on November 13, revealed that India spent $2.9 billion on Russian crude in October alone. This accounted for 81% of fossil fuel imports from Russia. The data also shows an 11% increase in crude imports compared to the previous month, while overall fossil fuel imports from Russia rose by 8%.
Private refiners continued to dominate India's Russian crude intake, but state-owned refineries also significantly increased their purchases, nearly doubling Russian oil volumes month-on-month.
According to Kpler data, about 1.8 million barrels of Russian oil reached India daily in October, and 34% of India’s overall oil imports in September came from Russia.
US sanctions target Rosneft and Lukoil
On October 22, the United States imposed new sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, Russia’s two largest oil producers, as part of efforts to pressure Moscow to end its military operations in Ukraine. The sanctions have not deterred India’s import volumes; however, Washington also introduced a 50% tariff on Indian oil imports, 25% as a reciprocal measure, and the remaining for continued imports of Russian oil.
One of the key contributors to India's October surge was the Vadinar refinery in Gujarat. The plant, which is partly owned by Rosneft and under EU sanctions, increased its production capacity to 90% during the month. The CREA report noted that the refinery has relied exclusively on Russian crude since EU sanctions were imposed in July.
Imports into the Vadinar facility rose by 32% in October, reaching their highest level since February 2022. However, the report also highlighted that exports from the refinery dropped to their lowest point since May 2023.
The CREA analysis underlined India's growing dependence on Russian energy exports, particularly crude oil. With Western-supplied energy constrained by sanctions, Indian refiners, especially in the private sector, continue to rely on discounted Russian crude to meet domestic demand.
