Russia Turns to India for Petrol as Ukraine War Disrupts Domestic Fuel Supply

The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war has severely impacted Russia's refining capacity and domestic fuel supply chain. As a result, Moscow is forced to import petrol from other countries, including India, to meet its domestic demand.

According to reports, Indian refineries have shipped around one million barrels of petrol to Russia over the past two months. This significant increase in seaborne gasoline imports has reached a record high in August, with nearly 125,000 barrels per day being imported from various countries, including India.

The Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia's energy infrastructure have damaged its domestic fuel production and refining capacity, triggering a petrol shortage. Experts believe that the dire fuel crisis in Russia arose due to Ukraine targeting oil depots, terminals, and refineries, which has diminished its refining capacity.

A major chunk of the supplies from India came from the Vadinar refinery in Gujarat, operated by Nayara Energy, a joint Indo-Russian oil refining firm. The looming threat of Ukrainian drone strikes has made it challenging for many refineries to return to full capacity, forcing Russia to import petrol from India to address its intensifying domestic fuel crisis.