India's purchase of Russian oil has risen to 2 million barrels per day in August, as refiners continue to prioritise economic considerations in their sourcing decisions.
As much as 38 per cent out of an estimated 5.2 million barrels per day of crude oil imported in the first half of August came from Russia, according to global real-time data and analytics provider Kpler.
Imports from Russia at 2 million bpd were up from 1.6 million bpd in July. The increase in Russian flow was at the cost of purchases from Iraq, which declined to 730,000 bpd in August from 907 bpd in July, and Saudi Arabia which fell to 526,000 bpd from 700,000 bpd last month.
The US was the fifth largest supplier at 264,000 bpd, according to Kpler.
"Russian crude imports into India have so far remained resilient in August, even after the Trump administration's tariff announcement in late July 2025," said Sumit Ritolia, Lead Research Analyst (Refining & Modeling) at Kpler. "But the stability we're seeing now is mostly a result of timing - August cargoes were locked in back in June and early July, well before any policy shifts."
What's showing up in the data today reflects decisions made weeks ago, he said, adding any real adjustment in flows - whether due to tariffs, payment issues, or shipping friction - will only start becoming visible from late September through October arrivals.
He noted that there's been no government directive to cut Russian volumes. "So from a policy standpoint, it's business as usual".
Arvinder Singh Sahney, chairman of Indian Oil Corporation - India's largest oil firm - too said the government has not given any instruction to go slow on purchases from Moscow in the aftermath of President Donald Trump's decision to slap an additional 25 per cent tariff on US imports from India -- raising the overall duty to 50 per cent -- as a penalty for the country's continued imports of Russian oil.
"Neither we are being told to buy nor told not to buy," he said. "We are not making extra effort to either increase or decrease the share of Russian crude."
Russian oil accounted for about 22 per cent of the crude processed by IOC in April-June and the volumes are expected to remain the same in the near future, he said.
Separately, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) Director (Finance) Vetsa Ramakrishna Gupta on an investor call said imports from Russia had declined last month from 34 per cent of overall imports in June quarter, as discounts on it had narrowed to USD 1.5 per barrel.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances
