Russia's Fuel Imports Hit Record as Ukrainian Strikes Bite
Russia imported a record 172,000 tonnes of petroleum products in August, most of it from India's Vadinar refinery, as Ukrainian strikes squeezed domestic refining.
Russia's seaborne imports of petroleum products climbed to an unprecedented 172,000 tonnes in August, a more than sevenfold jump over the previous monthly peak, as repeated Ukrainian drone strikes on refining infrastructure left the country short of fuel.
The bulk of those cargoes — roughly 70% — originated from the Vadinar refinery operated by Nayara Energy, with South Korea supplying most of the remainder. Rosneft, which holds a 49.13% stake in Nayara Energy, purchased the gasoline refined in India, according to the Finnish think tank Centre for Research on Energy and the Clean Air. Vadinar drew all of its crude from Russia during the first eight months of 2026.
The supply chain is unusually circuitous. Each cargo shipped from Vadinar to Russia was transferred between vessels in a ship-to-ship operation at the Damietta Lightering Zone off Egypt before being unloaded at Russia's Arctic port of Beloe More. The same fleet that carries Russian crude exports is being used for these deliveries.
Russia, once the world's largest exporter of oil products, has historically imported only small volumes of refined fuel, averaging under 5,000 tonnes a month of seaborne imports between 2023 and 2025. The surge reflects the cumulative effect of strikes on its energy and refining network, which have triggered domestic shortages.
Beyond India, Russia received 18,000 tonnes of South Korean oil products in August. Turkey also appears to have begun shipping gasoline to Russia, with the first cargoes arriving in September 2026.
On the crude side, Russia remained India's top supplier, shipping about 1.9 million barrels per day in August. China was the largest buyer of Russian crude that month, taking 50% of exports, followed by India at 37%, Turkey at 5% and the European Union at 5%.
India was the second-largest purchaser of Russian fossil fuels overall in August, importing hydrocarbons worth €4.8 billion. Crude accounted for 87% of that total at €4.1 billion, while coal contributed €379 million and oil products €258 million.
After two straight months of record crude purchases from Russia, India's imports fell 24% month-on-month in August. Volumes stayed elevated at the country's three biggest Russian-crude-importing refineries: Jamnagar recorded a 15% decline, Vadinar rose 5% and Indian Oil Corp. Ltd's Paradip refinery edged up 1%.