Russia

Explained: Why Russian oil is returning to India

As tensions escalate in West Asia and the Strait of Hormuz faces disruptions, global oil flows are shifting fast. India, the world’s third-largest oil consumer,

India in talks with Russia, Belarus, Morocco for fertiliser imports: Report

The Middle East accounts for roughly half of India's DAP and urea imports, with Saudi Arabia the largest DAP supplier and Oman the biggest urea supplier

RBI working to provide avenues to Russian trade counterparts for rupee use

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is working on providing more avenues for the usage of Indian rupee (INR) accumulated by the Russian trade counterparts, a senior official said on Thursday. The Central Bank is looking at avenues to either settle Indian rupees of Russian trade counterparts lying in India for imports or for making capital investments in India, he added. "We are working on providing various avenues for using the INR, which is accumulated here by the Russian counterparts, to use it either for settling their imports or making capital investments in India, so on and so forth," N Senthil Kumar, chief general manager in RBI's Foreign Exchange Department, said at the Russia-India forum in Mumbai. For the past few years, both countries have focused on local currencies to settle bilateral trade and reduce reliance on the US Dollar. Last year, the RBI was allowed to invest surplus balances in government securities. Kumar noted an "inertia" among stakeholders in transacting in lo

Russian oil bound for China diverted to India amid demand surge

The Aqua Titan is set to arrive in New Mangalore on March 21 with its Urals cargo that it loaded from a Baltic Sea port in late January, according to ship-tracking data

Russia's seaborne grain exports up 32.9% in February, shows data

Black Sea shipments drive surge in Russia's seaborne grain exports in February despite slower season-to-date volumes

Russia intercepts 250 Ukrainian drones attempting to attack Moscow

Russian air defences intercepted and destroyed 250 Ukrainian drones targeting the capital over the weekend, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Monday. The mayor's remarks came as some of the major airports curtailed their operations on Monday morning. "Thank you to the Ministry of Defence's Air Defence System for your professional and dedicated work," Sobyanin wrote in a social media post, noting that about 250 fixed-wing drones, directly approaching the capital or on the second line of defence, were shot down. A massive Ukrainian drone attack on the city began on March 14. A total of 159 unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down while approaching the capital. It also led to major airports restricting operations on Monday. "Due to air safety concerns, the capital's Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports are currently accepting and dispatching aircraft in coordination with the relevant authorities," the Moskva 24 channel said. It advised passengers to check their airports' online time

Russia downs 16 Ukrainian drones flying towards Moscow, says mayor

Russia on Saturday shot down 16 Ukrainian drones heading to attack Moscow, officials said. In a social media post, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said first responders have reached the sites where the debris of the drones fell. He said 16 Ukrainian drones were shot down as they were heading towards Moscow. The mayor, however, did not give any details of damage or casualties on the ground. According to Moskva 24 TV channel, three of the four local airports, Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky, located in the capital, had suspended their operations for several hours, disrupting air traffic. As part of preparedness against drone attacks, Moscow city and the capital region have been selectively switching off mobile internet, and people have been advised to use applications available offline. Maxim Korkin, the regional official in charge of Transport and Information technology, cautioned residents of the Moscow region about possible "temporary difficulties with mobile communications and .

Greek oil tanker damaged in suspected drone attack near Black Sea

A Greek-flagged oil tanker was damaged in a suspected drone attack in the Black Sea while approaching the Russian port of Novorossiysk, authorities said. Greece's shipping ministry said the attack occurred early Saturday, causing material damage, but the 24 crew members were unharmed and the vessel's seaworthiness was not under threat. The Maran Homer, chartered by US oil giant Chevron, was travelling from Thessaloniki in northern Greece to the Black Sea port and was due to sail on to Istanbul. It was struck by a missile or drone before picking up Kazakh oil, according to Greek government officials and the vessel's Greek operating company. Greek Maritime Affairs Minister Vassilis Kikilias said Athens would lodge a "strong complaint" with the country deemed responsible, without giving further details. He later identified Ukraine as carrying out frequent attacks in the Black Sea. "I consider the targeting of vessels flying the Greek flag - as well as those with Greek sailors and Gre

Businesses in Moscow struggle as Russia restricts mobile internet services

Many foreign websites were blocked Friday on mobile phones in central Moscow under restrictions that have gripped the Russian capital for more than a week, derailing the routine of millions of residents and slamming businesses that rely on cellphone internet. Russian authorities have said the restrictions are part of security measures to fend off Ukrainian drone attacks, but many industry experts suspect they are part of preparations by the authorities to block Russians' access to the global web if the Kremlin decides to do so. The intermittent shutdowns, which had previously been recorded in dozens of Russia's regions for months, have prompted some Moscow residents to turn to long-forgotten gadgets like walkie talkies, pagers and media players. The shutdowns are part of multipronged efforts by the authorities to rein in the internet. They have adopted restrictive laws and banned websites and platforms that don't comply. Technology also has been perfected to monitor and manipulate .

US gives nod for sale of more Russian oil already at sea amid Iran war

The measure, which applies only to oil loaded before March 12, expands upon a month-long waiver given to India last week, which was intended for crude loaded on ships before March 5

India's Russian oil buy surges 50% amid scramble to replace lost barrels

India's purchase of Russian crude oil has surged 50 per cent in March as New Delhi tapped alternate sources to make up for the shortfall arising from disruption in the Middle East amid a widening military conflict. India bought about 1.5 million barrels of Russian oil this month, up from 1.04 million bpd in February, ship tracking data showed. India, the world's third-largest crude importer, sources 88 per cent of its oil needs from abroad. It consumes 5.8 million barrels per day, of which 2.5-2.7 million barrels came from Middle East countries like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and the UAE via the Strait of Hormuz. The chokepoint also carried 55 per cent of India's cooking gas (LPG) and 30 per cent of liquefied natural gas (LNG), used for power, fertilizers, CNG, and household cooking. The ongoing conflict has largely halted shipments through the strait, forcing India to seek alternative crude sources from Russia. "India was expected to import around 2.6 million barrels per day of crude vi

Iran, Russia foreign ministers discuss regional tensions over phone

They exchanged views on the evolving situation in West Asia and the broader consequences of the conflict for regional and international stability

'Won't provide financial benefit to Russia': White House on oil waiver

Washington says move meant to ease global oil supply disruptions

Russia denies sharing US military asset data with Iran, says Witkoff

Witkoff said the denial came during ​a phone call that US President Donald Trump had with Russian President Vladimir ​Putin on Monday

Putin's mediation proposals on Iran conflict still stand, says Kremlin

Peskov was speaking a day after Putin spoke by phone to US President Donald Trump and, according to the Kremlin, shared proposals aimed at ending the war in Iran quickly

Iran says China, Russia, France reached out to discuss possible ceasefire

Iran's deputy foreign minister said that many countries want a way for ceasefire discussions, but said any truce is possible only if the US and Israel stop attacks

Oil falls over 6% as Trump predicts de-escalation in West Asia conflict

Shortly after settlement, prices turned negative following news of a phone call between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin

Russia says international law effectively dead, calls for UNSC P-5 summit

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the US should clarify its broader plans and explain how they relate to existing international norms

Trump downplays reports of Russia sharing data with Iran to target US

President Donald Trump said on Saturday that it was inconsequential if Russia has provided Iran with information to help Tehran target US military personnel and assets in the Middle East as the week-old war rages. The president dismissed the import of such information-sharing after he attended the dignified transfer for six Army reservists who were killed in a drone strike in Kuwait the day after the US and Israel launched a war on Iran that has unsettled the global economy. Trump stopped short of confirming reports by The Associated Press and other news outlets that US intelligence officials believe Russia has provided Iran with such targeting information. But if Moscow is passing on such details, he said Iran was getting little out of it. "If you take a look at what has happened to Iran in the last week, if they are getting information, it is not helping them much," Trump told reporters on Air Force One as he flew to Miami, where he is spending the rest of the weekend. The presid

Russia Revels in a sudden reversal in fortunes as oil and gas prices soar

President Vladimir V. Putin threatened to cut off remaining gas supplies to Europe as the Iran war drives a surge in energy costs