Russia’s crude exports finally begin to fall, but the world is still awash with Russian oil – and loopholes in sanctions regimes

Global Witness reports that despite a 13% drop in Russian crude exports over five weeks, significant loopholes in UK and US sanctions allow Russian oil to enter these markets via blending and refining. Specifically, the 'CPC Blend' allows Russian-Kazakh mixtures to reach the UK, while Russian crude refined in India is imported into the US as gasoline. Additionally, the document criticizes Germany for allowing Siemens to export banned technology for Nord Stream 1 maintenance and notes the use of ship-to-ship transfers off the Suffolk coast to obscure oil origins.

• Russian crude exports have decreased by 13% over five consecutive weeks, although high commodity prices maintain high revenues for the Russian government.
• A 'blending loophole' in UK and US rules allows the import of CPC Blend, a mixture of Russian and Kazakh oil. At least five million barrels of this blend have been shipped to the ExxonMobil refinery at Fawley, near Southampton, since the invasion.
• Russian crude is being refined into products like gasoline in India and then imported into the United States with official approval. In the first fiscal quarter of 2022, India's imports of Russian crude rose to approximately 682,000 barrels per day from 22,500 barrels per day in the same period of 2021, with significant activity at Jamnagar port.
• UK regulations enable British firms to assist traders in hiding the origin of Russian oil through tanker-to-tanker transfers off the coast of Suffolk.
• The German government reached an agreement with Canada to permit Siemens to export banned technology for the maintenance of Nord Stream 1, undermining export technology bans intended to limit Russia's long-term fossil fuel extraction capabilities.

APA

Global Witness (n.d.). Russia’s crude exports finally begin to fall, but the world is still awash with Russian oil – and loopholes in sanctions regimes. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-fuels/loopholes-undermine-sanctions-the-russian-shipping-forecast/

Chicago

Global Witness. Russia’s crude exports finally begin to fall, but the world is still awash with Russian oil – and loopholes in sanctions regimes. n.d. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-fuels/loopholes-undermine-sanctions-the-russian-shipping-forecast/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Global Witness |title=Russia’s crude exports finally begin to fall, but the world is still awash with Russian oil – and loopholes in sanctions regimes |url=https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-fuels/loopholes-undermine-sanctions-the-russian-shipping-forecast/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{globalwitnessndrussias, author = {{Global Witness}}, title = {{Russia’s crude exports finally begin to fall, but the world is still awash with Russian oil – and loopholes in sanctions regimes}}, publisher = {Global Witness}, url = {https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-fuels/loopholes-undermine-sanctions-the-russian-shipping-forecast/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }