Reliance Industries Halts Russian Oil Imports Amid EU Sanctions: What’s Next?
Reliance Industries Stops Russian Oil Imports
New Delhi: Reliance Industries Ltd, previously the largest importer of Russian oil in India, announced on Tuesday that it has not received any shipments of Russian crude in nearly three weeks, with no deliveries anticipated for January.
On November 20, 2025, the company declared a cessation of Russian crude processing at its Jamnagar refinery, which is dedicated to exports, in order to adhere to European Union sanctions.
Before this decision, Reliance was instrumental in processing Russian oil into fuels like petrol and diesel at its expansive refining facility in Jamnagar.
This facility comprises two refineries: one located in a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) that exports fuels to markets including the EU and the US, and an older unit that primarily serves the domestic market.
The European Union has enacted extensive sanctions aimed at diminishing Russia's energy revenue, which includes restrictions on the import and sale of fuels derived from Russian crude oil.
In response to these sanctions, Reliance ceased processing Russian crude at its export-only refinery.
On Tuesday, the company refuted a Bloomberg report that claimed three vessels carrying Russian oil were en route to its Jamnagar facility, labeling the report as "blatantly untrue."
"Reliance Industries' Jamnagar refinery has not received any cargo of Russian oil in the past three weeks and does not expect any deliveries in January," the company stated.
The Bloomberg report referenced data from analytics firm Kpler, suggesting that at least three tankers, carrying approximately 2.2 million barrels of Urals crude, were heading to Sikka port, which supplies a significant portion of crude imports for the Jamnagar complex.
However, Sikka port is also utilized by other companies not affiliated with Reliance.
Industry insiders indicated that the three shipments mentioned in the report were likely intended for Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd's Bina refinery, not Reliance.
"We have halted the import of Russian crude oil into our SEZ refinery since November 20," a spokesperson for Reliance confirmed on that date.
"Starting December 1, all product exports from the SEZ refinery will be sourced from non-Russian crude oil."
Previously, Reliance accounted for about half of the 1.7-1.8 million barrels per day of discounted Russian crude that was shipped to India.
Following the onset of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, India emerged as the second-largest buyer of discounted Russian seaborne crude, facing criticism from Western nations that have imposed sanctions on Russia's energy sector, arguing that oil revenues support Moscow's military efforts.
US President Donald Trump warned on Sunday that the United States might increase tariffs on India if New Delhi does not reduce its purchases of Russian oil.