Due to sanctions imposed by the US against Russian energy companies, Turkish refineries are currently buying at least 31% less Russian oil in January this year compared to last year.
Bloomberg writes about this, citing data from the analytical company Vortexa Ltd.
In March, Turkey imported about 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day, and only 19% of that came from Russia. In comparison, last year, more than 50% of its crude oil imports came from Russia.
Turkey is now looking for new suppliers. In particular, oil refiner Turkiye Petrol Rafinerileri AS (Tupras) has purchased a shipment of medium-sweet crude from Brazil, which is currently being transported by the tanker Joao Candido. According to the Turkish government, this is the first recorded purchase of crude oil from Brazil since 2007.
From the end of February, Tupras plans to stop receiving Russian oil that does not meet the price limit set by the G7 countries. The company also announced that it has stopped purchasing Russian Urals oil.
Brazilian state oil company Petrobras has sold 950,000 barrels of Itapu low-sulfur (0.25%) crude to Turkey for delivery in early April.
Another refinery in Turkey is owned by Azerbaijan’s state-owned energy company, Socar, which supplied 29 percent of the country’s oil imports last year. It is unclear how much of that oil was Russian, though. Socar did not respond to requests for comment.
- These changes in oil purchases are related to international sanctions that the United States imposed on January 10. The large-scale package of sanctions, in particular, affected Russian oil companies. 184 Russian tankers, including those from the Kremlinʼs shadow fleet, were affected by the restrictions.
- Due to the restrictions, three tankers carrying more than 2 million barrels of crude oil were stranded in waters off eastern China.
- Turkey is not the only country to have reduced its supplies of Russian oil amid sanctions. In February 2025, Indiaʼs crude oil imports from Russia fell to their lowest level since January 2023. Bloomberg writes: this proves that US sanctions have disrupted supply chains.
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