India has emerged as a key supplier of petrol to Russia, with Indian refiners shipping nearly 1 million barrels of gasoline to the country over the past two months as repeated Ukrainian drone attacks disrupt Russian refinery operations.
Russia’s seaborne gasoline imports surged to around 125,000 barrels per day in August, equivalent to approximately 470,000 tonnes, as domestic fuel production fell sharply. India, Turkey and Morocco have been among the suppliers helping Moscow address the widening supply gap.
A significant share of India’s shipments reportedly originated from Nayara Energy’s Vadinar refinery in Gujarat, which is partly owned by Russian oil major Rosneft. The development creates an unusual trade flow, with India importing large volumes of Russian crude and exporting refined petrol back to Russia.
Russia’s gasoline production has been severely affected by attacks on refineries, with Reuters reporting that output fell to about 70% of domestic demand by late August. Moscow has responded by increasing fuel imports and extending restrictions on gasoline and diesel exports.
The disruption is expected to keep Russia dependent on imported gasoline in the near term, creating additional demand for seaborne refined-product supplies and reshaping regional fuel trade flows.