Global energy shake-up: China and India lead fossil fuel imports from Russia
Russia's biggest fossil fuel importers: Western nations have surprisingly retreated. Stepping into the big shoes are rather unexpected Asian powerhouses amid ongoing conflicts with Ukraine.
According to data from the Russia Fossil Tracker, China and India are Russia’s top fossil fuel buyers. This highlights a dramatic shift in the global energy market.
In 2022, the European Union was Russia's largest fossil fuel customer, importing 928,998 units. But by March 2025, EU imports plummeted to just 104,646 as sanctions and policy shifts took hold following the invasion of Ukraine.
On the contrary, China’s imports rose from 435,025 to 607,288, and India’s from 28,907 to an astonishing 344,848, positioning both nations as key pillars of Russian energy exports.
Turkey and "Others" increased imports, while South Korea reduced its intake from 92,267 to 30,255 in March 2025. Notably, the United States and the United Kingdom seem to have completely phased out Russian fossil fuel imports this year.
Despite mounting international sanctions and global pressure, Russia ranks among the world’s leading oil producers—often competing with Saudi Arabia for the second spot behind the United States. Following a major industry shake-up in 2021, the sector is now dominated by state-backed giants Gazprom, Rosneft, and Lukoil.
The European Union remains a major buyer amid the sanctions, too, as it accounts for over $223 billion of that revenue. In a striking data point, EU member states imported a record 837,300 metric tons of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) in just the first 15 days of 2025, according to Kpler data reported by POLITICO Europe.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the country has earned an estimated $915 billion from fossil fuel exports—highlighting the global energy market’s persistent reliance on Russian oil and gas.
