Russia has begun importing gasoline from India by sea to ease domestic fuel shortages caused by Ukrainian attacks on its energy infrastructure, marking an unusual reversal in energy trade between the two countries, reported Reuters.
According to industry sources cited by Reuters, at least 60,000 metric tonnes of gasoline have already been dispatched from India to Russia. Two tankers carrying cargoes of between 30,000 and 40,000 tonnes each have been shipped, although it remains unclear which Indian refiner supplied the fuel.
The imports come as Russia grapples with fuel shortages across its 11 time zones, leading to fuel rationing, long queues at filling stations and record-high domestic gasoline prices.
The Kremlin acknowledged on Tuesday that it is in discussions with several countries to secure fuel imports at acceptable prices. Russia’s energy ministry and India’s oil ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
One industry source told Reuters that Russia plans to import around 400,000 tonnes of gasoline every month from multiple countries, including neighbouring Belarus, to stabilise domestic supplies.
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Belarus has already stepped up shipments, with rail deliveries of gasoline to Russia in the first half of June rising to more than 70,000 tonnes, which is nearly three times the volume supplied during the first half of May, according to Reuters calculations and industry sources.
Russia consumes at least 110,000 tonnes of gasoline daily during the summer months when seasonal demand peaks.
President Vladimir Putin acknowledged on Sunday that Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries had disrupted fuel supplies in some regions, although he said authorities were working to address the shortages.
To cushion the impact, Russia’s parliament last week approved amendments to the country’s tax code that provide subsidies for fuel imports. The subsidies are linked to Indian delivery costs and fuel prices, making imports from India more economically viable.
The gasoline shipments underscore the evolving energy relationship between India and Russia, which has largely been centred on crude oil since Western sanctions reshaped global energy flows.
India’s crude oil imports from Russia climbed to a record high in June, according to ship-tracking data from LSEG and Kpler, as Indian refiners increased purchases of discounted Russian crude amid disruptions to supplies from the Middle East following the Strait of Hormuz closure.
Russian crude accounted for more than half of India’s total oil imports in June, up sharply from 36.5% in May, Kpler data showed.
Preliminary estimates from Kpler and LSEG indicate that India, the world’s third-largest oil importer, imported around 2.70 million barrels per day of Russian crude during June.
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