Russia starts importing petrol from India amid fuel crisis

According to Reuters, at least 60,000 metric tons of petrol have already been shipped from India to Russia. Additionally, two more tankers carrying 30,000 to 40,000 tons of petrol each are en route to Russia.

To manage the fuel shortage, Russia has also planned to import approximately 400,000 tons of petrol per month from various sources.

Due to damage to several major Russian oil refineries from Ukrainian attacks, petrol supply has been constrained in various regions of the country. As a result, fuel is being sold in limited quantities in some areas, and petrol prices have risen in the market.

In this situation, Moscow has taken the initiative to import fuel from abroad. The Kremlin has stated that negotiations are underway with several countries for importing petrol at acceptable prices. However, neither Russian nor Indian authorities have officially commented on this matter so far.

Reuters also reported that in the first half of June, more than 70,000 tons of petrol were supplied to Russia by rail from Belarus, nearly three times the amount supplied during the same period in May.

On the other hand, according to LSEG and Kpler data, more than half of India's total crude oil imports in June came from Russia. The world's third-largest oil importer imported approximately 2.7 million barrels of Russian crude oil per day that month.

Meanwhile, in a meeting with government ministers and senior officials on Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged that fuel shortages had occurred in some regions of the country due to damage to several oil refineries from Ukrainian drone attacks. However, he stated that the government is taking necessary steps to keep the situation under control and continues to work to address the crisis.