Russia imports gasoline from India for the first time amid Ukrainian attacks on refineries
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Moscow received its first gasoline shipments from India last week to cope with local shortages, Bloomberg reported on Aug. 12, citing Kpler data.
Nayara Energy Ltd., an Indian oil refining company backed by Russia's largest oil producer, Rosneft, was revealed to be the source of fuel that traveled aboard Russian-linked tankers through Egypt.
Russia began importing gasoline from its partners, among them Belarus and India, as Ukrainian drone attacks continue inflicting damage to oil refineries thousands of kilometers from the front line.
As Kyiv carried out its "40-day campaign" aimed at "weakening key elements of the Russian military machine", analysts estimate that Russia's current crude-processing rates are about a third below seasonal expectations.
Sumit Ritolia, lead analyst at Kpler, told Bloomberg that imports from farther countries like India underline "the severity of the current domestic gasoline imbalance." In April, Moscow announced a complete ban on gasoline and diesel exports to prioritize its own consumers.
Despite sanctions, shadow fleet tankers continue to operate at sea, delivering fuel to Russia's ports.
Nayara, sanctioned by the European Union last July, transferred a 42,000-metric-ton gasoline cargo from India's Vadinar to a transfer point at Damietta Port in Egypt before the vessel departed for Russia, concluding its drawn-out journey.
Data compiled by Bloomberg reveals that more fuel may be on its way to Russia, as two tankers left Vadinar on July 6 and 13 before making transfers at Damietta.
