Reliance Makes Rare Buy Of Russian Crude, Ups Fuel Imports

"With European countries shutting down Russia, they need to find outlets for their naphtha," a trader based in India said, referring to Russian firms.

India's Reliance Industries, operator of the world's largest refining complex, is snapping up Russian refined fuels, including rare purchases of naphtha, after some Western buyers stopped Russian imports, trade flows data from Refinitiv showed.

Western sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine have led to an emergence of rare trade routes for Russian crude and refined products that were mainly sold to European countries.

India imported about 410,000 tonnes of naphtha, used for making petrochemicals, in Sept-Oct, the Refinitiv data showed.

Of this figure, Reliance received about 150,000 tonnes from the Russian ports of Ust-Luga, Tuapse and Novorossiysk during the two months, the data showed.