India tops Russian oil imports via 30 false-flagged tankers: Think tank

The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) has claimed that India imported 5.4 million tonnes of Russian crude oil worth €2.1 billion between January and September 2025, transported on 30 vessels sailing under false flags.

The Helsinki-based think tank claimed that these shipments made India the largest national destination for crude moved by Russia's growing "shadow fleet".

Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Western countries imposed sanctions on Russian energy exports. Moscow has been accused of evading these sanctions by using shadow fleets -- older tankers operating in legal grey zones, often with obscure ownership, false registration papers and disabled tracking systems. These ships have delivered oil to several nations, including China, India and Turkey, news agency PTI reported.

CREA claimed that 113 Russian vessels operated under false flags in the first nine months of 2025, transporting 13 per cent of all Russian crude -- equivalent to 11 million tonnes valued at €4.7 billion ($5.4 billion).

"As of September 2025, there were 90 Russian 'shadow' vessels operating under false flags — a six-fold increase from December 2024," CREA said in its report.

When contacted by PTI regarding shipments to India, CREA confirmed that 30 vessels carrying crude oil under false flags reached the country during the first nine months of the year.

"Of the €4.7 billion of Russian oil transported on falsely flagged tankers in the first three quarters of 2025, €2.1 billion (5.4 million tonnes) was transported to India," the think tank said.   

Traditionally dependent on West Asia crude, India boosted imports from Russia after the February 2022 Ukraine invasion. Western sanctions and lower European demand made Russian oil available at steep discounts.

As a result, Russia’s share in India’s total crude imports jumped from under 1 per cent to nearly 40 per cent within a short period. In November 2025, Russia remained India’s top supplier, accounting for over a third of all crude oil imports.

India has reduced its purchases of Russian crude oil for deliveries in December, due to the growing impact of Western sanctions and ongoing trade negotiations with the US, Bloomberg reported.

Five of India’s largest refiners have not placed any orders for Russian crude for next month. Typically, such deals are finalised by the 10th of each month. This marks a notable shift for the world’s third-largest oil importer, which has heavily relied on discounted Russian oil in recent years.

All ships at sea must fly a flag, which grants them legal jurisdiction under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Some countries operate open registries, allowing foreign-owned ships to register for lower costs and lighter regulations. This practice is often exploited by operators seeking flexibility.

CREA’s report noted that 96 sanctioned vessels had flown a false flag at least once by the end of September. Moreover, 85 ships changed flags at least twice within six months of being sanctioned by the EU, the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) or the UK.

Six flag registries that had never hosted a Russian ship since the Ukraine invasion ended up having at least 10 such vessels each, totalling 162 shadow tankers by September 2025.

The slowdown in Russian oil orders comes after a series of measures by the Trump administration that have reshaped global trade flows. In August, President Donald Trump raised tariffs on all Indian imports to 50 per cent. Later, in October, his administration imposed sanctions on Russia’s two biggest oil producers, Rosneft PJSC and Lukoil PJSC.

These actions have increased scrutiny of India’s energy trade. Washington has accused New Delhi of indirectly financing Russia’s war in Ukraine through its purchases of Russian oil.

(With agency inputs)