India fell to third place among buyers of Russian fossil fuels in December 2025 after private and state-run refiners sharply reduced crude oil imports, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). India’s total imports of Russian hydrocarbons stood at €2.3 billion in December, down from €3.3 billion in November. The decline saw Türkiye overtake India to become the second-largest buyer, purchasing €2.6 billion worth of Russian hydrocarbons during the month. China remained the top importer, accounting for 48 per cent, or €6 billion, of Russia’s export revenues from the five largest buyers. According to CREA, crude oil made up 78 per cent of India’s December purchases, totalling €1.8 billion, while coal imports amounted to €424 million and oil products to €82 million. In November, India had spent €2.6 billion on Russian crude, which is processed domestically into fuels such as petrol and diesel. India’s Russian crude imports fell 29 per cent month on month to their lowest level since the introduction of the price-cap policy, despite overall oil imports edging up marginally. The reduction was driven largely by Reliance Industries, whose Jamnagar refinery halved its Russian crude intake in December. CREA said all of Reliance’s imports during the month were supplied by Rosneft, based on cargoes contracted before US sanctions took effect. State-owned refiners also cut Russian imports by around 15 per cent. The US has imposed sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil to curb Moscow’s ability to fund the war in Ukraine. As a result, companies such as Reliance Industries, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd, HPCL-Mittal Energy Ltd and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd have either halted or scaled back Russian imports, while Indian Oil Corporation continues to buy from non-sanctioned Russian entities. India, the world’s third-largest oil importer, emerged as the biggest buyer of discounted Russian crude after Western countries imposed sanctions on Moscow following its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russian oil’s share in India’s crude basket rose from under 1 per cent to nearly 40 per cent at its peak, before easing to about 25 per cent in December from 35 per cent a month earlier. CREA also noted that in December, five refineries in India, Türkiye and Brunei processed Russian crude and exported €943 million worth of oil products to sanctioning countries. These included the European Union (€436 million), the United States (€189 million), the United Kingdom (€34 million) and Australia (€283 million). About €274 million of these exports were estimated to have been refined from Russian crude. Exports to sanctioning countries declined 9 per cent month on month, led by sharp reductions to the EU and UK. In contrast, exports to Australia rose 9 per cent, driven mainly by shipments from India’s Jamnagar refinery and Brunei’s Hengyi refinery. Exports to the US surged 121 per cent, largely originating from refineries in India and Türkiye.