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Russia Imports Gasoline from India Amid Fuel Shortages

Thursday, July 2, 2026
5 min read
Russia Imports Gasoline from India Amid Fuel Shortages

Russia is starting to import gasoline from India by sea. This move comes to address fuel shortages across the country. The trouble started when Ukrainian drone strikes hit Russian refineries. Two industry sources told Reuters about this on Wednesday. Meanwhile, ship tracking data showed Indian refiners bought a record 2.70 million barrels per day of Russian crude oil in June.

At least sixty thousand metric tons of gasoline have already been sent from India to Russia, one source noted. Another figure suggested two tankers were involved each carrying between thirty and forty thousand tons.

Then there’s the monthly plan. A third source claimed Russia intends to import four hundred thousand tons of gasoline every month from several places. They want to plug that gap. Belarus has already been sending fuel by rail for months, so that counts too.

Russian gasoline consumption is brutal right now. It hits at least one hundred ten thousand tons a day in the summer when demand spikes and shortages really bite hardest, the sources pointed out.

Drivers across Russia’s eleven time zones are facing rationing. Long queues at filling stations are the reality. And gas prices at the pump keep climbing.

President Putin did acknowledge the disruption on Sunday. He met with government ministers and other officials about it. He said the drone strikes had caused fuel shortages in some regions, but he insisted the government was already dealing with the fallout.

Separately, look at India’s side of things. Their imports of Russian crude climbed to their highest level ever recorded in June. Ship tracking data from LSEG and Kpler backs this up. Indian refiners got about 2.70 million barrels per day of Russian oil that month, preliminary numbers showed.

That number shifts depending on who you ask. May saw 2.13 million barrels per day according to Kpler. LSEG counted 1.95 million barrels per day. There’s a gap between the two trackers because they track cargoes differently at sea.

Russian oil ended up making up more than half of India’s total crude imports in June, up from thirty-six point five percent back in May, Kpler data indicated. India’s overall crude imports stayed pretty flat that month around four point nine million barrels per day. Russia is still the biggest supplier to the world’s third largest oil importer and consumer.

Indian refiners leaned heavily on these discounted Russian barrels. They did this to offset problems from the Strait of Hormuz. Supplies getting into India from the Middle East had become harder to secure. The discount made Russian cargoes more appealing when alternative Gulf supply was growing tougher to find.

This whole thing feels like two flows sitting right on top of each other, but going opposite directions in the energy relationship. India is buying discounted Russian crude to cover a shortfall from the Middle East. And Russia, meanwhile, is now trying to buy Indian gasoline because they have their own refinery shortages shortages caused by that same conflict that kept Russian oil flowing cheaply to Indian shores.

Neither the Russian energy ministry nor India’s oil ministry offered comment when Reuters asked for responses on Wednesday evening.

Written by Gree News Team — Senior Editorial Board

Gree News Team covers international news and global affairs at Gree News. Our collective of senior editors is dedicated to providing independent, accurate, and responsible journalism for a global audience.

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