# Indian refiners shift away from Russian crude amid attacks 2026-08-25T16:47:28+00:00 | Business & Economy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet (2 source reports) Indian refiners are reducing purchases of Russian crude in August, as Ukrainian attacks on Russian ports and refineries disrupt export flows. Imports from Russia are expected to drop to about 2 million barrels a day, down from a high of roughly 2.8 million barrels in July, according to Kpler analyst Sumit Ritolia. Refiners including Indian Oil Corp have issued tenders for supplies from the Americas and the Persian Gulf. Hindustan Petroleum and Mangalore Refinery also made snap purchases of non-Russian crude this week. The shift follows a period when Russia supplied more than half of India's imports. Competition with China for Russian barrels is increasing, with some October-loading Sokol cargoes bought unusually early. Indian refiners are balancing supply security with higher freight costs from longer voyages. Kpler expects Russian flows to India to normalise above 2 million barrels a day in the coming months. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The two BusinessLine articles present diverging frames on Indian crude sourcing: the August 25 version emphasises diversification toward Russia, UAE and South America as a resilience strategy against Strait of Hormuz disruptions, while the August 26 version foregrounds a retreat from Russian crude due to Ukrainian attacks on Russian ports. The earlier piece highlights Russian oil as India's main base despite the Graham Bill threat, the later piece treats the same Russian decline as a supply problem requiring rare tenders from the Americas. Neither engages with the cost implications the first article details. Imports are expected to normalise above 2 million barrels a day in coming months, and India's next tender outcomes will reveal the new balance. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral - thehindubusinessline.com (neutral report) Leads with diversification, frames Russian reliance as resilient despite policy risks - thehindubusinessline.com (2) (neutral report) Focuses on scaleback from Russian crude due to Ukrainian attacks, with alternative sourcing This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-26T07:32:53+00:00. Tags: crude oil, India, Kpler, Russia, Strait of Hormuz, UAE Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/indian-refiners-diversify-crude-sources-as-west-asia-disruptions-persist/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/indian-refiners-diversify-crude-sources-as-west-asia-disruptions-persist/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/