India continues to heavily rely on discounted Russian crude, with imports reaching a record high in July amid increasing US sanctions pressure and geopolitical tensions.
India’s Russian crude imports climbed to a second straight monthly record in July, underscoring how deeply the country has become tied to discounted barrels from Moscow even as Washington steps up pressure on buyers of Russian energy. Data from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air showed Indian refiners bought Russian crude worth €5.5 billion in July, with volumes rising to 2.8 million barrels a day, or 55.5% of the country’s total crude imports.
The increase came despite renewed scrutiny from the United States. The US Senate has backed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, a measure that would give President Donald Trump authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on imports from countries among the top five buyers of Russian oil and gas. The bill passed by an 86-11 vote, reflecting broad bipartisan support, and now faces consideration in the House of Representatives when lawmakers return on August 31.
India’s reliance on Russian crude has surged since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, when European buyers pulled back and Moscow redirected exports to Asia with steep discounts. According to the US Energy Information Administration, India imported less than 100,000 barrels a day from Russia in 2021. That figure rose to about 740,000 barrels a day in 2022, then to nearly 1.8 million barrels a day in 2023, making Russia India’s largest supplier that year.
CREA said July’s latest rise was driven largely by smaller terminals rather than the country’s biggest Russian crude destinations. Imports through HMEL Mundra and Indian Oil’s Vadinar SMPL terminal increased sharply, while shipments through Mumbai also rose. By contrast, flows through Jamnagar were flat and Paradip saw a decline, but the gains elsewhere more than offset the drop. India was the second-largest buyer of Russian fossil fuels in July, after China, and crude made up 87% of its Russian energy purchases. Russian oil product exports also remained under strain, even as the country’s crude revenues held broadly steady.
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