India Becomes Major Gasoline Supplier to Russia Amid Refinery Attacks

India has become a critical supplier of gasoline to Russia as Moscow seeks alternative fuel sources following widespread disruptions to its domestic refining capacity caused by Ukrainian drone strikes. Ship tracking data analyzed by energy analytics firm Vortexa reveals that Russian seaborne gasoline imports surged to a record 125,000 barrels per day (bpd) in August, equivalent to approximately 470,000 tonnes for the month. The supply gaps emerged after repeated attacks on Russian refineries significantly reduced fuel production, creating a national fuel shortage.

Indian refiners played a key role in filling this gap, supplying nearly 1 million barrels of gasoline to Russia over the past two months. The majority of these shipments originated from the Vadinar refinery in Gujarat, which is operated by Nayara Energy—an Indian company 50% owned by Russia's state-controlled energy giant Rosneft. Since 2022, India has increasingly relied on Russia for crude oil imports, which are processed into petroleum products such as petrol and diesel. India’s imports of Russian crude reached a historic peak in June and July, exceeding 2.6 million barrels per day and accounting for over half of the country’s total crude imports.

Russia, one of the world’s largest crude exporters, has faced severe gasoline shortages after Ukrainian drone attacks on its refineries led to a sharp decline in domestic production. Some estimates suggest a drop of up to 70% in local fuel output, prompting Moscow to turn to international markets for gasoline while maintaining domestic fuel supply restrictions. In August, Russia imported gasoline from India, Turkey, and Morocco to address the imbalance between supply and demand.

To manage the crisis, Russia extended its full export ban on gasoline through January 2027, while diesel export restrictions were prolonged until September 2026. Despite these measures, around 55% of Russia’s gasoline imports in August—about 260,000 tonnes—were transported on sanctioned vessels, according to Vortexa. The data also indicates that all gasoline cargoes from India to Russia last month were moved using sanctioned fleets and involved covert ship-to-ship transfers, primarily in the Mediterranean Sea. Approximately 40% of Russia’s gasoline imports in August were transferred via these shadowy ship-to-ship operations, with many vessels disabling their automatic identification system (AIS) signals.

While gasoline imports have risen sharply, Russian diesel exports remain severely constrained due to ongoing refinery damage and terminal disruptions. Vortexa reported 32 attacks on Russian refineries in July and August—roughly one every other day—further crippling production capacity. As a result, Russia’s seaborne diesel exports averaged just 150,000 bpd through August 25, unchanged from July but down 610,000 bpd year-over-year and 81% below the five-year seasonal average. Analysts expect Russia will continue importing gasoline in the near term due to its historically lower gasoline-to-diesel production ratios.

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