India Slips to Third Place in Fossil Fuel Imports from Russia

In December 2025, India has slipped to the third position in buying crude oil from Russia. This change occurred due to a significant reduction in crude oil imports by Reliance Industries and public sector refineries. This information was provided by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) in a report released on Tuesday.

According to CREA, India's total hydrocarbon imports from Russia in December stood at €2.3 billion, which is €1 billion less than the €3.3 billion in November.

CREA’s report further states, "Turkey has now overtaken India to become the second-largest importer of Russian crude oil, purchasing €2.6 billion worth of hydrocarbons from Russia in December." China remains the largest importer of Russian crude oil, accounting for 48% (€6 billion) of the total export income from Russia’s top five importers.

The CREA report also mentions, "India was the third-largest buyer of Russian fossil fuels, importing €2.3 billion worth of hydrocarbons in December. Crude oil accounted for 78% of India’s total purchases, which amounted to €1.8 billion. Additionally, coal (€424 million) and petroleum products (€82 million) were also imported."