India's Russian oil imports rise in May as refiners boost purchases

📌 Summary:

• India remained the world's second-largest buyer of Russian fossil fuels in May 2026, importing an estimated 5.8 billion euros ($6.7 billion) of Russian hydrocarbons
• Crude oil accounted for about 83% of these imports, valued at 4.8 billion euros
• Oil products and coal imports stood at 550 million euros and 429 million euros respectively
• Data is from the European think tank Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA)
• Reflects India's strategy of buying discounted Russian crude to manage its high import dependence and energy costs

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 Economy / GS2 IR — energy security, import dependence, sanctions environment and India's strategic autonomy in oil sourcing.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• India is among the world's largest crude oil importers (over 85% import-dependent)
• CREA (Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air) is a Finland-based research body
• Crude oil made up ~83% of India's May imports from Russia

🔑 Key Term: Energy security — assured access to affordable and reliable energy supplies, central to India's sourcing diversification.