The Russian oil laundromat fueling America’s driving season

Global Witness reports that while the US has banned direct imports of Russian fossil fuels, it continues to import refined petroleum products from India that are derived from Russian crude. Analysis of trade data from the first five months of 2023 shows that the US imported 12.6 million barrels of refined products from India, with a high concentration coming from the Sikka port in Gujarat, which imports significant quantities of Russian crude. The author contends that banning imports from refineries using Russian crude would squeeze Kremlin revenues without significantly impacting US fuel prices, and urges a transition to renewable energy over increased domestic oil production.

• The US maintains a legal loophole where it is prohibited from importing Russian oil, gas, or coal, but can legally import gasoline made from Russian crude if it has been refined in another country and "substantially transformed".
• India has become a primary route for Russian oil to enter the US market; Indian imports of Russian crude increased more than tenfold following the invasion of Ukraine.
• Trade data from the first five full months of 2023 indicates the US imported 152 million barrels of refined petroleum products by sea, of which 12.6 million barrels (approximately 8%) originated from India.
• A significant portion of US refined oil imports from India are linked to the Sikka port in Gujarat province and the Jamnagar refining complex, where 35% of the crude arriving at the port was of Russian origin during the first five months of 2023.
• Closing the loophole by banning imports from refineries that bought Russian crude within a specific period would likely have a negligible impact on US pump prices, potentially costing only a few cents.

APA

Global Witness (n.d.). The Russian oil laundromat fueling America’s driving season. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-fuels/the-russian-oil-laundromat-fueling-americas-driving-season/

Chicago

Global Witness. The Russian oil laundromat fueling America’s driving season. n.d. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-fuels/the-russian-oil-laundromat-fueling-americas-driving-season/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Global Witness |title=The Russian oil laundromat fueling America’s driving season |url=https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-fuels/the-russian-oil-laundromat-fueling-americas-driving-season/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{globalwitnessndrussian, author = {{Global Witness}}, title = {{The Russian oil laundromat fueling America’s driving season}}, publisher = {Global Witness}, url = {https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-fuels/the-russian-oil-laundromat-fueling-americas-driving-season/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }