India's Russian oil imports rise in May as refiners boost purchases

New Delhi, India remained the world's second-largest buyer of Russian fossil fuels in May, importing an estimated 5.8 billion euros (USD 6.7 billion) worth of Russian hydrocarbons as refiners stepped up crude purchases from Moscow, European think tank Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) said in a report.

Crude oil accounted for about 83 per cent of India's imports from Russia during the month, valued at 4.8 billion euros, while oil products and coal imports stood at 550 million euros and 429 million euros, respectively.

"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.

Some of India's largest refining hubs recorded notable increases in Russian crude arrivals. Unloaded volumes at the Vadinar refinery in Gujarat rose 36 per cent from April levels, while deliveries to the Jamnagar refining complex in the state increased 14 per cent.

According to CREA, 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, it said.

The Paradip refinery on Odisha's east coast also unloaded its highest volume of Russian crude in two years, underscoring the continued attractiveness of discounted Russian barrels for Indian refiners despite evolving geopolitical and sanctions-related pressures.

India emerged as one of the largest buyers of Russian oil since Western sanctions and trade restrictions reshaped global energy flows following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Indian refiners have consistently increased purchases of discounted Russian crude, helping offset higher energy costs while boosting refining margins and exports of petroleum products.

The latest figures suggest Russian oil continues to account for a significant share of India's crude import basket, even as the country diversifies supplies from the Middle East, Africa and the United States.

According to CREA, China bought 50 per cent of Russia's crude exports in May, followed by India (36 per cent), Turkiye (6 per cent), and the EU (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. Crude oil made up 69 per cent (Euro 4.8 bn) of China's purchases, followed by pipeline gas (Euro 618 million), then coal (Euro 525 million), and lastly LNG (Euro 510 million). Oil products (Euro 479 million) constituted the remainder of China's imports," it said.

CREA said despite the EU's ban on imports of oil products made from Russian crude on January 21, 2026, 10 shipments of oil products from refineries using Russian crude were unloaded at EU ports in the month of May.

"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.

Exports to the US originated at Reliance Industries Ltd's Jamnagar refinery, the SOCAR-owned STAR refinery in Turkiye, and the Tupras Izmit refinery as well. "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," it added.