Russian crude supplies enabled India to cushion against oil supply shocks caused by West Asian war: Deputy FM

Russian crude oil supplies enabled India to handle oil-supply delays after the conflict in West Asia disrupted energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz, proving Moscow as a reliable energy partner, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko has said.

Moscow could meet demand from its partners even in difficult geopolitical conditions, Rudenko recently noted. Existing arrangements between India and Russia helped “significantly mitigate” the consequences of disruptions to global energy trade, Rudenko told Russian news outlet NEWS.ru this week.

Rudenko also referred to the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant built in collaboration with Russia and said another site will soon be allocated for a Russian-designed nuclear power plant.


The oil refiners here increased imports of Russian crude after the US-Israeli-Iran war disrupted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

In March 2026 following the outbreak of conflict India’s Russian crude imports nearly doubled from the previous month to 2.25 million barrels per day (bpd) and accounted for half of its oil purchases. Gulf shipments to India reportedly plunged following the war.

Rudenko’s statement comes amid moves by India to raise with the USA concerns about Russia and Iran Sanctions Act threatening 100 per cent tariff for purchasing Russian oil, and after Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s call for choking off Russia’s oil trade under a new US sanctions law.

Russian oil shipments to India stood at about 2.1 million bpd in August, and are at around 1.9 million bpd in September, according to preliminary data from commodity analytics firm Kpler.

The Indian government has maintained that securing affordable and dependable energy for its 1.4 billion people requires multiple suppliers, and warned against restrictions that could distort or constrict global energy markets.