Russia turns to India for gasoline as drone strikes cripple domestic refineries

Russia has begun importing gasoline from India, according to Reuters, a striking sign of how severely domestic fuel shortages have hit one of the world’s largest energy producers. The shipments represent a dramatic role reversal: just months ago, India was relying on Russian crude to cushion itself from supply disruptions caused by the Iran conflict. Now, as Ukrainian drone strikes pound Russian refineries, President Vladimir Putin acknowledged this week that the attacks had triggered shortfalls — but he downplayed what analysts describe as an "unprecedented" crisis for an energy superpower, the Associated Press reported.

The impact is being felt at the pump. Long lines are forming at gas stations across Russia, and ordinary citizens are growing increasingly frustrated, according to RFE/RL. "For Ukraine, that’s the goal," the outlet noted, framing the refinery strikes as a deliberate strategy to bleed Russia’s war economy from within. While Moscow has long marketed itself as a reliable energy supplier, the imports from India underscore a weakness in its downstream infrastructure that Western sanctions and battlefield attrition have only deepened.

The geopolitical symbolism is hard to miss: New Delhi, once seen as Moscow’s junior energy partner, is now supplying fuel to its former patron. Analysts say the arrangement is likely to be temporary but reveals how swiftly the energy landscape has shifted since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. With alternative suppliers scarce and domestic output squeezed, Russia may have to continue relying on Indian refineries to keep its own motorists moving — a quiet but telling admission of vulnerability.