Since 2022, after Moscow invaded Ukraine, Western sanctions have pushed Russia to redraw its energy map. What was once a steady flow of crude oil into Europe has been rerouted to Asian buyers eager for discounted supplies.
This development has reshaped the global oil trade and altered the balance of energy power.
Here are the top five countries still buying Russian crude oil in 2025 and why Europe has sharply cut back.
1. China: The biggest beneficiary
China remains Russia’s largest oil customer, purchasing an estimated US$3.2 billion worth of crude each month as of August 2025. For Beijing, this partnership is about price advantage and national energy security. Moscow’s crude is cheaper than international benchmarks like Brent, often selling at a discount of up to $15 per barrel.
In August 2025, crude oil made up 58 percent of China’s total Russian fossil fuel imports, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
2. India: Discount hunter turned power buyer
India, the world’s third-largest oil consumer, has become Russia’s second-biggest crude customer. It imports around US$2.9 billion of Russian oil each month on average. Before 2022, India rarely bought from Russia due to long transport distances and existing Middle Eastern contracts. That changed after sanctions drove prices down.
Indian refiners now buy discounted Urals crude to keep fuel prices stable for consumers and protect their fast-growing economy from global volatility. Crude accounted for 78% of India’s Russian fossil-fuel imports by value in August 2025.
3. Turkey (Türkiye): The Middleman tefinery
Between December 2022 and July 2025, Turkey accounted for 26 percent of Russia’s refined oil product exports, according to J.P. Morgan Commodities Research. In August 2025, Türkiye was Russia’s third-largest fossil fuel importer, making up 21% (about €3 billion) of Moscow’s export revenues from its top buyers.
Most of Türkiye’s energy imports from Russia came through pipelines, with gas at 39 percent, followed by oil products (34 percent), crude oil (20 percent), and coal (7 percent).
4. The European Union: A sharp decline but not a full exit
Europe once depended on Russia for more than 27 percent of its crude oil and over 45 percent of its total gas imports before 2022. Now, those figures have plunged. By 2024, Russian crude made up just 3 percent of the EU’s total oil imports, mostly through the Druzhba pipeline, which still supplies Hungary and Slovakia under a limited exemption.
The EU banned Russian seaborne crude in December 2022 and later extended restrictions to most oil products. This was part of a coordinated Western effort, with the G7 and the UK, to cut off Moscow’s revenue and pressure it over the Ukraine war.
To replace Russian energy, Europe turned to Norway, the US, and Middle Eastern suppliers. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the US now covers much of what Russian pipeline gas once did.
Yet even as Europe diversified, it paid a cost: higher energy bills in 2023, refinery adjustments, and supply chain shifts.
5. South Korea: A mixed energy buyer
South Korea buys about US$87 million worth of Russian fossil fuels monthly, mostly coal and LNG rather than crude. It remains among the top five because of its continued reliance on Russian energy for industrial demand. However, Seoul has gradually cut direct crude purchases while diversifying LNG supplies from Qatar and Australia.
Read also: Russia moves to end fuel shortage as prices climb 10%
