President Vladimir Putin acknowledged on Sunday, during a meeting with government ministers and other officials, that Ukrainian drone strikes targeting Russian oil refineries had created fuel shortages in several regions. He stated that the Russian government is addressing the situation and working to restore stable fuel supplies.
Belarus has already stepped up assistance by almost tripling its gasoline rail shipments to Russia. According to Reuters calculations and industry sources, Belarus exported more than 70,000 metric tons of gasoline to Russia during the first half of June, compared with the first half of May.
In an additional effort to tackle the fuel crisis, Russia's parliament approved amendments to the country's tax code last week. The measures are designed to address shortages resulting from Ukrainian drone attacks while also providing subsidies for imported fuel. The subsidy mechanism is linked to delivery costs and pricing for gasoline imported from India.
At the same time, India's imports of Russian crude oil climbed to a record high in June, according to ship-tracking data from LSEG and Kpler. Indian refiners significantly increased purchases of Russian crude to reduce the impact of disruptions associated with the Strait of Hormuz closure on other sources of oil supply.
Russian crude accounted for more than half of India's total crude oil imports in June, rising from 36.5 percent in May, according to Kpler data. Preliminary figures from Kpler and LSEG showed that India, the world's third-largest oil importer, received approximately 2.70 million barrels of crude oil per day from Russia during June.
Russia's decision to import gasoline from India underscores the growing pressure on its domestic energy sector following sustained attacks on refining infrastructure. At the same time, the expanding energy trade between India and Russia highlights the strengthening commercial relationship between the two countries amid shifting global energy markets and ongoing geopolitical tensions.
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