October 19, 2026: Refineries in India, Türkiye and Brunei that process Russian crude shipped €1 billion worth of oil products to countries imposing sanctions on Russia in September, marking a 43% increase from August. The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) estimated that €295 million of these refined petroleum products originated from Russian crude.

The European Union emerged as the largest destination, receiving €667 million worth of products from the refineries analysed. India's Reliance Industries and its Jamnagar refinery in Gujarat featured prominently, with the facility supplying six of the seven cargoes unloaded at EU ports during September. Italy received three of the seven EU-bound shipments, whilst Romania took two, and Spain and Cyprus one each.

The findings have renewed attention on Western restrictions concerning refined products made from Russian oil. The European Union banned fuel produced from Russian crude in January 2026, though the regulation includes specific exemptions for net crude exporters. Advocacy groups have called for stricter enforcement at refinery level to ensure products derived from Russian oil are blocked.

(Source: Swarajya)