India's Russian revolution in oil: Why refiners are buying more Urals crude

Refiners have jumped on to the bandwagon of opportunistic buying of heavily discounted Urals crude, which could, ironically, make the country Europe's refining hub

India may see a structural shift in supplies of crude oil with Russia emerging as a key source of fuels, a development that reduces New Delhi’s dependence on West Asian oil, gives Indian refiners better bargaining power with price-setter Saudi Arabia, and improves overall energy security.

The unexpected surge in supplies of Russian crude in the last few months, unthinkable until the war in Ukraine, may also deliver other unforeseen gains such as boosting exports of refined fuels to Europe, which historically has counted on Russian shipments.

India has jumped on to the bandwagon of opportunistic buying of Russian crude but if