Ukraine’s Russian drone strikes lead to fuel shortage in Moscow:India comes to the rescue, becomes key petrol supplier of Putin govt

India has emerged as a key petrol supplier to Russia following severe fuel shortages caused by drone strikes on Russian refineries. Indian refiners supplied up to 10 lakh barrels of gasoline during July and August to help stabilize Russian domestic fuel supplies. Indian Refineries Ship Fuel to Russia Indian refiners supplied up to 10 lakh (1 million) barrels of petrol to Russia over July and August. The primary source of these shipments was the Vadinar refinery in Gujarat. This refinery is operated by Nayara Energy, which is partly owned by Russia’s state energy firm Rosneft. India imports large volumes of crude oil from Russia, processes it into finished fuels like petrol, and has now exported a portion of that processed fuel back to Russia to meet its emergency demand. Key Figures at a Glance Indian Petrol Shipments to Russia: 10 lakh barrels (July–August) Russia’s August Petrol Imports: 1.25 lakh barrels per day (~4.7 lakh tonnes total) Attacks on Russian Refineries: 32 strikes across July and August Drop in Russian Production: Up to 70% reduction at affected plants India’s Russian Crude Imports: Over 26 lakh barrels per day (June–July) Drone Strikes Disrupt Russian Fuel Output Drone attacks on Russian energy infrastructure severely reduced local fuel production. Between July and August, analytics firm Vortexa recorded 32 separate attacks on Russian refineries—averaging roughly one attack every two days. The damage cut domestic petrol output at affected facilities by up to 70%. To bridge the gap between supply and demand, Russia turned to sea-based imports from India, Turkey, and Morocco. India’s Purchases of Russian Crude Oil Hit Record Highs India’s petrol exports to Russia follow a major increase in Indian purchases of Russian crude oil. India imported over 26 lakh barrels per day of crude oil from Russia in June and July. This is a sharp increase from 10 lakh barrels per day in February. Russian oil currently accounts for more than half of India’s total crude oil imports. Shipment Routes and Fuel Sales Restrictions Analytics data shows that about 55% of Russia’s August petrol imports arrived on vessels under international sanctions. All petrol shipments originating from India to Russia in August involved ship-to-ship transfers in the Mediterranean Sea, where vessels turned off their automatic tracking signals during transport. While importing petrol to secure domestic supplies, Moscow has restricted fuel sales abroad. Russia extended its total ban on petrol exports through January 2027 and maintained its diesel export ban through September 1, 2026. Russian diesel exports dropped to 1.5 lakh barrels per day in August, which is 81% below the five-year average for this season. Future Outlook Russia is expected to continue importing petrol in the short term. The country historically produces less petrol relative to diesel, leaving its domestic market vulnerable until damaged refining infrastructure is fully repaired.