India has emerged as the world’s second-largest buyer of fossil fuels from Russia, trailing only China, according to data from the Helsinki-based think tank Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). This shift underlines India’s growing role in global energy trade amid ongoing geopolitical tensions and Western sanctions targeting Russian energy exports. 
In November 2025, India imported approximately €3.3 billion worth of fossil fuels from Russia, significantly up from around €3.1 billion in October. Crude oil accounted for the bulk of the purchases, rising to €2.6 billion, while coal and refined products also saw increases in import value. 
China maintained its position as the top buyer, with imports from Russia reaching around €5.4 billion in the same period. Following India, Turkiye and the European Union were among other major destinations for Russian fossil fuels. 
India’s rising imports come at a time when many Western countries have reduced or halted Russian fuel purchases due to geopolitical fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and resulting sanctions. This has left Asian economies such as India and China as key markets for Russian exports, particularly crude oil. 
The increase in Russian crude imports has also translated into significant downstream activity. Indian refiners have been exporting large volumes of refined fuels, including to markets such as Australia, reflecting how domestic processing of imported crude feeds into broader global fuel supply chains. 
India’s energy demand itself has also remained robust, with overall fuel consumption hitting multi-month highs in late 2025. Analysts say this strong domestic requirement, together with the availability of competitively priced Russian crude, has sustained high import levels despite external pressure from the United States and other Western partners to curtail such purchases. 
The evolving energy relationship highlights the shifting contours of global energy trade. While Russia continues to seek diversified markets following Western sanctions, India’s growing dependency on imported crude underscores its broader challenge of meeting rapidly increasing energy needs in an era of geopolitical complexity.
