Crude treatment facilities at the Rosneft-owned Vankorskoye oil field in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. Photo: Reuters.
A British newspaper has revealed that Britain bypasses Western sanctions against Russia, turning to its former colony, India, for access to Russian oil.
Over the weekend, British newspaper The Daily Telegraph revealed that, despite Western sanctions imposed on Moscow over the conflict in Ukraine, India has become a hidden intermediary for the import of Russian crude into the United Kingdom.
According to the newspaper, using a “back door” for oil supplies is perfectly legal in the UK, although such a procedure makes British efforts to reduce the Kremlin’s financial resources less effective.
UK power buyers have increased imports of oil from India’s largest refinery in the western town of Jamnagar, trade data shows. Consequently, New Delhi has also increased its crude imports from Russia, according to the newspaper.
The Jamnagar refinery bought four times more crude from Russia in 2022 than in 2021, and London, in turn, bought 2.5 times more oil products from Jamnagar last year than in 2021.
This information shows that buyers of energy products in the UK indirectly contribute to the flow of Russian oil.
Furthermore, as reported by Reuters on July 14, 2022, western sanctions on Russian crude oil have not succeeded in undermining the Russian economy. On the contrary, several nations such as “China, India and other nations of Africa and Western Asia” have increased imports from Russia.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/FV/SL
