Indian refiners seek November crude alternatives amid US sanctions threat

September 21, 2026 at 07:21 PM1 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Indian refiners have begun seeking alternative crude suppliers for November as the threat of new US sanctions on buyers of Russian oil grows. Russia accounted for more than 40% of India's oil imports, according to Reuters data cited by Arbat Media. Kazakh crude already reaches India via the CPC pipeline and tanker route through the Black Sea and Suez Canal.

Key Facts

Indian refiners have begun searching for alternative crude suppliers for November, according to Bloomberg sources cited by Arbat Media.
Russia accounted for more than 40% of India's oil imports, according to Reuters data cited by Arbat Media.
Indian refineries have already secured Russian crude for September and October, so the search for alternatives concerns mainly November purchases.
Kazakhstan already supplies oil to India via the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) pipeline to Novorossiysk and then by tanker through the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and Suez Canal.

Sanctions Threat

Indian oil refineries began seeking alternative crude suppliers for November amid the threat of new US sanctions against buyers of Russian crude. Bloomberg reported the development, citing sources familiar with the negotiations, according to Arbat Media. For India, one of the largest buyers of Russian oil, possible tightening of restrictions creates risks for supply. Indian refineries have already secured Russian crude for September and October, so the search for alternatives concerns primarily November purchases.

Kazakh Route

Kazakhstan already supplies oil to India. The route runs through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) pipeline from Kazakhstan to the sea terminal near Novorossiysk. From there, oil is delivered by tankers through the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Suez Canal to India. Increasing oil and petroleum product supplies to Asia, including India and China, is one of the key vectors of Kazakhstan's export route diversification.