Turkey has significantly limited its purchases of Russian Urals oil in November amid tightening Western sanctions on energy resources from Russia. Turkish refineries are increasingly shifting to alternative grades of crude, reducing their dependence on Russian supplies.
This is reported by Finway
Reduction of Urals Supplies and Diversification of Import Flows
In November, the daily volume of Urals oil imports to Turkey decreased by 100,000 barrels compared to October. Back in June this year, Turkey was nearing a multi-month high, importing about 400,000 barrels per day. This trend is driven not only by sanctions but also by preparations for the EU’s ban on purchasing fuel from Russian oil, which will come into effect at the end of January 2026. Against this backdrop, Turkish companies are increasing purchases of Kazakh CPC Blend and KEBCO oil, as well as Iraqi Basrah, gradually reducing the share of Russian crude in the country’s energy balance.
India Shifts to New Suppliers
Indian refineries are also seeking alternatives to Russian oil in response to heightened restrictions from the United States. Recently, India organized crude oil supplies from Guyana – the first such route since 2021. New batches of oil are expected to arrive in India in January 2026, marking an important step in diversifying the country’s energy supply.
According to information from Ukrainian intelligence, Russia and Vietnam are resorting to schemes to circumvent restrictions on the export of Russian oil. To this end, the countries are entering into agreements that allow the creation of subsidiaries in third countries, opening opportunities to mask the origin of the oil and export it under the guise of Vietnamese oil.
“Particularly noteworthy is the establishment in the agreement of a minimum selling price for oil not lower than $75 per barrel, which is significantly above the price ceiling of $47.6 per barrel that EU countries introduced in July 2025,” intelligence officials noted.