Russian oil shipments to India are expected to climb in September as Moscow cuts prices to push crude exports, according to trading sources. The move comes after Ukrainian drone attacks damaged several Russian refineries, reducing their capacity to process crude.
India has emerged as the largest buyer of Russian oil since Western sanctions followed Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Indian refiners benefit from discounted crude, meeting nearly 40% of the country’s oil needs at lower costs.
However, the purchases have drawn criticism from Washington. U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration this week raised tariffs on Indian goods to 50%, accusing New Delhi of profiting from cheap Russian energy.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is pursuing diplomatic efforts, both through talks with Washington and by strengthening ties with Moscow, including meetings with President Vladimir Putin.
Indian officials counter Western criticism, arguing that the U.S. and European Union still import billions of dollars’ worth of Russian goods, showing what they call “double standards.”
Trading sources say Indian refiners plan to raise September imports by 10–20% compared to August, equating to 150,000–300,000 additional barrels per day. Reliance Industries and Nayara Energy, India’s top buyers of Russian crude, have not commented.
Russia’s ability to export more oil stems from outages at home, with recent Ukrainian strikes knocking out up to 17% of its refining capacity. This has freed up additional crude for overseas buyers.
In the first 20 days of August, India imported 1.5 million barrels per day from Russia, slightly below the January–June average but still accounting for around 1.5% of global oil supply.
India’s reliance on Russian crude has displaced costlier oil from OPEC, whose share in India’s energy mix only recently began to recover after years of decline.
For September, Russian sellers are offering discounts of $2–$3 per barrel against Brent benchmarks, deeper than August levels, making the deal increasingly attractive to Indian refiners.