India's biggest refinery resumes imports of Russian oil

According to the agency, Reliance Industries Ltd., which operates a massive refinery complex on India’s western coast, has resumed purchases of Russian oil after US President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on Russia’s largest oil companies.

The tankers loaded with nearly 2.2 million barrels of Urals crude are en route to the Jamnagar refinery complex and are expected to arrive early this month, according to data from analytics firm Kpler.

It is noted that the Russian crude will be processed into fuel for domestic consumption rather than for export.

As Bloomberg reported last week, Reliance had halted purchases of Russian oil after the United States blacklisted Rosneft and Lukoil, switching instead to alternative suppliers.

Previously, Rosneft had been the largest supplier of Russian oil to the Indian refinery, supported by a long-term supply contract for 500,000 barrels per day.

US sanctions

As a reminder, in October, the United States imposed sanctions on Russian energy giants Rosneft and Lukoil, causing their market value to drop sharply and forcing them to sell foreign assets.

In addition, India has faced significant economic consequences from cooperation with Russia amid its war against Ukraine and mounting sanctions pressure from the US and the EU.

In 2025, the United States raised tariffs on most Indian goods to 50%, partially linking the additional duties to India’s purchases of Russian energy resources and weapons. This dealt a heavy blow to Indian companies that rely heavily on exports to the US.

In November, it became known that Indian energy giant Reliance Industries had fully halted imports of Russian oil in compliance with international sanctions. However, supplies have now resumed.