NEW DELHI, August 3. /TASS/. India's oil imports from Russia reached their highest level since 2022 in July, hitting 2.8 million barrels per day (bpd) and accounting for more than half of the country's total purchases, The Times of India reported.

July purchases of Russian crude by New Delhi were the largest since 2022, when the republic began acquiring significant volumes of the energy resource from Russia. According to vessel-tracking data from Kpler, India imported just over 5 million bpd of crude oil in July, up slightly from June. Supplies from Russia increased from 2.7 million bpd in June to 2.8 million bpd, bringing its share of India's oil imports to 55.5%.

Nikhil Dubey, a leading analyst at Kpler, noted that amid the changing geopolitical situation, Russian oil supplies had once again proven their reliability.

"Another reason for the strong Russian imports is the continuing reliability of Russian cargo," he said.

July data also indicates that Indian refineries have begun to restore purchases from Middle Eastern suppliers following disruptions to Persian Gulf supplies during the conflict. Saudi Arabia recorded the largest increase among major suppliers, with exports to India rising to 420,000 bpd in July from 290,000 bpd in June. Imports from Iraq continued to recover after plunging to zero in April: purchases in July nearly doubled, reaching 130,000 bpd from 67,000 bpd in June, marking the third consecutive monthly increase since supplies resumed in May.

Meanwhile, imports from the UAE fell to 460,000 bpd in July from 510,000 bpd in June, though the UAE remains India's second-largest oil supplier.

India is the world's third-largest oil importer and consumer, meeting more than 88% of its crude requirements through imports.