RIL stops importing Russian oil into its export-oriented refinery to comply with EU ban on Russian-origin fuel

“We have stopped importing Russian crude oil into our SEZ refinery with effect from 20 November. From 1 December, all product exports from the SEZ (special economic zone) refinery will be obtained from non-Russian crude oil. This transition has been completed ahead of schedule to ensure full compliance with product-import restrictions coming into force on 21 January 2026,” an RIL spokesperson said in a statement.

In July, as part of a sanctions package to force Russia to end the war in Ukraine, the EU had announced a blanket ban on imports of petroleum products derived from Russian oil in third countries from January 21. According to the EU, exporters of oil products to the bloc will have to show appropriate evidence that the products were not derived from Russian crude. The EU is a key market for RIL’s fuel exports.

The objective of such actions by Western powers is to curb Moscow’s revenue from oil exports, which they say is helping fund Russia’s war effort in Ukraine. Russia is among the world’s top oil exporters.

“All pre-committed liftings of Russian crude oil as of 22 October 2025 are being honoured, considering all transport arrangements were already in place. The final such cargo was loaded on 12 November. Any cargoes arriving on or after 20 November will be received and processed at our refinery in the Domestic Tariff Area (DTA). All operational activities ordinarily incident to such oil supply transactions can be completed, we believe, in a compliant way,” the RIL spokesperson said.

The statement from RIL also comes a day before the wind-down period prescribed by the US for dealings with Russian oil majors Rosneft and Lukoil is set to end. The US had announced sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil on October 22, and gave the November 21 deadline for all dealings with the two companies to be wound down. Rosneft and Lukoil are Russia’s biggest oil producers and exporters, and account for a bulk of India’s Russian oil imports. RIL has a term deal with Rosneft for importing up to 0.5 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude.

RIL is also steering clear of importing oil from Rosneft and Lukoil to avoid any risk of attracting secondary sanctions from the US, it is learnt. This is expected to lead to huge reduction in the company’s Russian oil imports going forward as it would only deal with non-sanctioned suppliers and intermediaries.

RIL has several US-based subsidiaries operating in various sectors, has raised debt through dollar-denominated bonds, and has strategic alliances with US companies, with major investments from American majors like Google, Meta, and Intel. Given such massive exposure to the US, the conglomerate cannot afford the risk of inviting secondary sanctions from Washington.

Historically, Indian refiners have avoided oil imports from countries like Iran and Venezuela, whose oil was sanctioned by the US, and industry watchers and experts expect a similar approach on oil from Rosneft and Lukoil. Given Indian refiners’ and banks’ exposure to the US—from dollar-denominated trade to access to the American financial system and markets—potential secondary sanctions could have a significant impact on them.