Reuters: India's Russian oil imports in April highest in 9 months

India's imports of Russian oil rose to a nine-month high after shipments from non-sanctioned tankers of the Russian Sovcomflot company resumed, Reuters reported on May 21, citing data from shipping and trade sources.

Indian buyers briefly stopped accepting shipments from Sovcomflot earlier this year after the U.S. designated the company and 14 of its tankers as in breach of sanctions.

India has become a key buyer of Russian oil after Western trade restrictions, imposed over Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, forced Moscow to pivot to other markets.

Reuters wrote that in the first month of the fiscal year 2024/25, Indian refineries imported almost 1.8 million barrels per day of Russian oil, an increase of about 8.2% compared to the previous month.

This further increased Russia's share in India's overall oil market, while imports from Iraq and Saudi Arabia dropped.

Bloomberg reported on May 21 that the Indian government made a rare request to its oil refiners and private processor Reliance Industries Ltd. to lock in at least a third of their contracted supply from Russia under a long-term deal.

New Delhi has maintained a vibrant economic partnership with Moscow amid the all-out war against Ukraine, much to the dismay of Western countries.

Sanctions for show: Russian oil sales to China, India single main driver of Ukraine invasion

As Western sanctions designed to cripple Russian energy exports barely slow them down, the Kremlin continues to make enough money to keep its war against Ukraine going indefinitely, just by selling oil to China and India. After pivoting away from Europe, Moscow found enthusiastic buyers in Beijing…

The Kyiv IndependentIgor Kossov