India remained the world’s second-largest buyer of Russian fossil fuels in May, importing Russian hydrocarbons worth an estimated 5.8 billion euros (USD 6.7 billion), as refiners stepped up purchases of discounted crude from Moscow, according to a report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).Crude oil accounted for the bulk of India’s imports from Russia during the month, making up about 83 per cent of the total at 4.8 billion euros. Oil product imports were valued at 550 million euros, while coal imports stood at 429 million euros, PTI reported.“India’s total crude import volumes recorded an 8 per cent month-on-month increase in May. This is partially explained by a 21 per cent month-on-month increase in Russian imports,” CREA said in its report.Russian crude arrivals riseSeveral of India’s largest refining hubs recorded a rise in Russian crude arrivals during the month. According to CREA, unloaded volumes at the Vadinar refinery in Gujarat increased 36 per cent compared to April, while deliveries to the Jamnagar refining complex rose 14 per cent.State-run refiners also expanded purchases after resuming imports earlier this year. The New Mangalore and Visakhapatnam refineries, which had halted Russian crude imports at the end of November 2025, continued buying Russian oil after restarting purchases in March.Russian crude deliveries to New Mangalore rose 13 per cent month-on-month in May, while imports at Visakhapatnam jumped 42 per cent, the report said.The Paradip refinery in Odisha also unloaded its highest volume of Russian crude in two years, highlighting the continued appeal of discounted Russian oil for Indian refiners despite geopolitical and sanctions-related pressures.Russia remains key supplierIndia emerged as one of the biggest buyers of Russian crude after Western sanctions and trade restrictions following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine reshaped global energy markets.The latest figures indicate that Russian oil continues to occupy a significant share of India’s crude import basket, even as New Delhi diversifies supplies from the Middle East, Africa and the United States.According to CREA, China remained the largest buyer of Russian crude exports in May, accounting for 50 per cent of shipments, followed by India at 36 per cent. Turkiye accounted for 6 per cent and the European Union for 5 per cent.“In May 2026, China remained the largest global buyer of Russian fossil fuels, accounting for 38 per cent (Euro 7.0 billion) of Russia’s export revenues from the top five importers,” the report said.Products still reaching sanctioned countriesCREA also noted that despite the European Union’s ban on imports of oil products made from Russian crude, several shipments from refineries processing Russian oil continued to reach sanctioning countries.“Refineries using Russian crude in India, Turkiye, Brunei, and Georgia exported Euro 641 million of oil products to sanctioning countries in May 2026. The importers included the EU (Euro 174 million), Australia (Euro 275 million), the US (Euro 147 million) and New Zealand (Euro 45 million). An estimated Euro 214 million of these products were refined from Russian crude,” it said.The report added that exports to the United States originated from Reliance Industries’ Jamnagar refinery, Turkiye’s STAR refinery and the Tupras Izmit refinery.“In the prior three months, 39 per cent of the STAR refinery’s crude oil feedstock and 15 per cent of the Jamnagar refinery’s feedstock came from Russia,” CREA said.
