Report: Russian Oil Entering UK, EU in 'Loophole'

Facts

• Since imposing sanctions over a year ago, the UK government has officially not imported any oil from Russia. According to a new analysis, however, a legal 'loophole' has allowed millions of barrels of gasoline and diesel to be legally imported into the UK from countries such as India and China.¹
• A study paper published by the advocacy group Global Witness said the UK imported an estimated 5.2 million barrels of petroleum products from refined Russian crude oil last year, which was then classified as originating in the origin of the nation that refined the product. The majority, 4.6 million barrels, was jet fuel.²
• Meanwhile, the European Union's imports of refined products from India increased by 115% from 2022 to 2023 — up from 111K barrels daily to around 232K per day. This is likely because India can purchase cheap Russian oil and, after refining it, sell the processed goods at full price to the European market.³
• By keeping this refining loophole open, the UK government and Europe become potentially complicit in the purchase of Russian petroleum while simultaneously supporting Ukraine in its war efforts against the Kremlin.¹
• Once refined, it is impossible to tell which refined products originated from Russian materials, according to experts. However, they say it is possible to get an estimate of the volume by tracking crude oil imports and export destinations of refined products from individual facilities. ³
• The data indicates that most of the imports come from three Indian oil refineries — Vadinar, Jamnagar, and New Mangalore, along with nine other refineries in China and other nations.²

Sources: ¹BBC News, ²Asian News from UK and ³Independent.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Energyandcleanair. Sanctions on Moscow are intended to restrict the flow of oil money that's fueling the Kremlin's brutal war in Ukraine. The UK and the EU must permanently close this so-called 'loophole' by expanding and tightening their ban on all oil products from Russia, as well as restricting any third-party sales of refined Russian products. The global community owes it to Ukraine.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by The Telegraph. Sanctions are not working. If the objective was to harm the Russian economy while assisting Ukraine, all it has accomplished is to wreak havoc on Europe. Now we know that the oil embargo is essentially a hoax funded with European tax dollars. Now that all other options have failed, it's time to turn to diplomacy.