Multiple reports, citing industry and shipping sources, say Russia is importing gasoline refined in India—specifically fuel produced by Nayara Energy—using international trading firms. The accounts connect the move to Russia’s worsening gasoline supply situation attributed to attacks on energy infrastructure in Ukraine. Reuters, as referenced by one outlet, describes shipments of gasoline from India to Russia and notes that the specific supplier in earlier reporting was not identified, before Nayara was subsequently named.

All sources discussed government positioning that India is not directly selling fuel to Russia. Indian Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri is quoted as saying there are no direct sales by Indian companies, while adding that Russia could be buying Indian-origin fuel through traders.

The reports also describe how European Union sanctions imposed in July last year complicate payment flows, increasing Nayara’s reliance on traders for crude imports and refined fuel exports. One outlet further links Nayara’s operational constraints to shipping activity from its Vadinar refinery in Gujarat and mentions that crude and fuel flows appear routed through intermediaries and multiple shipping waypoints. The overall picture is one of indirect, trader-mediated trade flows amid sanctions and wartime supply pressures.