India’s imports of Russian crude oil reached a new high in June, rising 34 per cent from the month before despite a drop in Russia’s total oil export earnings, as per a report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).India is the second-largest consumer of Russian hydrocarbons after China, having purchased Russian crude worth EUR 4.5 billion in June, or 83 per cent of its total Russian fossil fuel imports of EUR 5.5 billion, the report said.The significant increase coincided with a 5.4 per cent month-over-month (MoM) increase in India’s total crude imports, with significant increases in Russian supply to important refineries. While imports at Indian Oil Corp’s Paradip refinery increased by 126 per cent, deliveries to Reliance Industries’ Jamnagar refinery increased by 150 per cent from May.According to CREA, the Russian crude supply to BPCL’s Kochi refinery and Nayara Energy’s Vadinar refinery had risen 83 per cent and 45 per cent, respectively. Even while Russia’s crude oil export profits dropped 8 per cent month over month to EUR 348 million per day as a result of lower prices, the increase in Indian imports contributed to a 14 per cent increase in crude export volumes in June.The report also stated that although export volumes increased by 7 per cent, overall Russian fossil fuel export profits fell by 1 per cent to EUR 734 million per day.India remained a major player in the international trading of refined fuels made from Russian crude. Oil products valued at EUR 814 million were exported by refineries in India, Turkey, Brunei, and Georgia to the European Union, Australia, and the US, among other nations that imposed sanctions on Russia in June. It said Russian crude was used to refine an estimated EUR 369 million of those shipments.According to the report, two shipments from Indian refineries using Russian crude were unloaded at EU ports in June despite the EU’s restriction on the import of oil products made from Russian crude. Additionally, it stated that after permitting imports of diesel and jet fuel refined from Russian oil under an exception, the UK received its first shipment of jet fuel from Jamnagar.