(MENAFN) India continued to hold its spot as the second-largest purchaser of Russian crude oil in October, trailing only China, according to data from a European think tank.

The United States imposed sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, Russia’s top oil producers, on October 22 in an effort to pressure Moscow to end the conflict in Ukraine.

The Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), in its monthly review of Russian fossil fuel exports released on November 13, reported that India spent $2.9 billion on Russian crude during October.

This expenditure represented 81% of New Delhi's fossil fuel acquisitions from Russia.

The report highlighted an 11% increase in India’s Russian crude imports compared to September.

CREA also noted that overall imports from Russia grew by 8% month-on-month. While private refineries accounted for more than two-thirds of the total imports, state-owned refineries nearly doubled their Russian crude volumes in October.

The Vadinar refinery, located in Gujarat in western India and partly owned by Rosneft, raised its production capacity to 90% in October despite being sanctioned by the EU.

CREA mentioned that following EU sanctions in July, the refinery has been sourcing crude exclusively from Russia.

In October, Vadinar’s imports from Russia surged 32% compared to the previous month, reaching the highest levels since February 2022.

However, exports from the refinery fell to their lowest point since May 2023.

MENAFN17112025000045017167ID1110353764