India's largest refinery has resumed purchasing Russian oil.

Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries Ltd. has returned to purchasing Russian oil, resuming imports to ensure capacity at its Jamnagar refinery, India's largest.

According to Bloomberg sources, the company has signed a new contract with Russian trader RusExport, which provides for the transportation of crude oil using Aframax tankers, including Aframax vessels with a deadweight of approximately 80,000–120,000 tons. The oil is shipped to a refinery with a capacity of 660,000 barrels per day, which supplies the domestic market and delivers products to Indian consumers.



The resumption of supplies is expected to offset the sharp decline in India's Russian oil imports, which Indian officials estimate could more than halve in December compared to previous months. The return of a major buyer like Reliance to the market could partially offset the current decline and stabilize bilateral energy trade.

As a reminder, Reliance suspended purchases of Russian crude following the imposition of sanctions by the United States on October 22 against key Russian producers Rosneft and Lukoil. The restrictions were accompanied by a transition period: US regulators granted Indian refiners one month to complete existing transactions with these companies, forcing the market to adapt to the new conditions and temporarily reducing purchase volumes.