Chinese refiners are purchasing distressed Russian crude oil cargoes that Indian buyers are turning away from, helping Moscow offset a decline in shipments to India, which has traditionally been Russia’s largest seaborne buyer. Bloomberg reports that deliveries of Russian crude to Chinese ports climbed to about 2.09 million barrels per day in the first 18 days of February 2026, up from around 1.72 million bpd in January and 1.39 million bpd in December—more than compensating for India’s reduced purchases. They write:
Chinese refiners are snapping up Russian oil that India is shunning, helping Moscow to overcome a dip in purchases by the country that’s normally its biggest buyer of seaborne barrels.
Deliveries of Russian crude to Chinese ports rose to 2.09 million barrels a day in the first 18 days of February, vessel-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg show. The increase — from 1.72 million barrels a day in the whole of January and 1.39 million in December — has more than offset a drop from India. […]
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