India continues to buy 'huge quantities of Russian feedstock': Envoy

Russian ambassador to India Denis Alipov has said that India continues to buy "huge quantities of Russian feedstock," state media reported on Wednesday.

In an interview to the Rossiya-24 TV channel, Alipov said as per estimates for the month of October 2025 that Russian feedstock purchases by India stand at approximately the same level of 1.75 million barrels daily.

"If we look at October statistics, India continues buying huge quantities of Russian feedstock. Approximately at the same level as lately, about 1.75 million barrels per day," the envoy said as per the official TASS news outlet.

"This figure, it bounced before, it is still bouncing now, higher in certain months and lower in the others - approximately at the same level in average," Alipov added.

In October, the US had imposed sanctions, which will come into effect from November 21 this year, on two of Moscow's biggest oil companies- Rosneft and Lukoil, over the Russia-Ukraine war. Washington on October 22 sanctioned Rosneft and Lukoil, which together account for 57 per cent of Russia's crude output.

The European Union has also sanctioned Russian crude oil and petroleum products.

Meanwhile, India's foreign affairs ministry had on October 30 stated that its energy decisions will continue to prioritise securing affordable fuel for its 1.4 billion citizens.

Addressing the weekly media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that India's position on energy sourcing remains unchanged and is guided by national interests. "Our decisions regarding oil purchases are guided by market dynamics -- the fluctuations and changes that occur in the global market. Our approach to sourcing fuel is shaped by our responsibility to provide energy to our people -- to ensure that fuel is available at affordable prices, so that the needs of our 1.4 billion (that is, 140 crore) citizens can be met."

The MEA also confirmed that several Indian companies have stopped purchasing oil from Russia after the US sanctions. "We have seen several reports, and our Indian companies have also informed us about their approach, which has already been shared with you. I have seen many reports issued by our Indian oil companies," Jaiswal said.

According to a report by the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) the impact of US measures has already been severe. Since the introduction of the 25 per cent "Russian oil" tariff on July 31, total duties on Indian goods have doubled to 50 per cent, leading to a 37 per cent fall in exports between May and September, it said.