North Asia

The traders said that Russia's gasoline exports to Afghanistan and Turkmenistan dropped in July, even before Moscow restricted the exports to ensure affordable supplies on the domestic market. According to data from traders, Russia's gas exports to Afghanistan dropped to 9,500 tons last month, down from 33,950 tonns in June. Turkmenistan's imports also decreased to 19,800 tonns from 39,700 tonns. The data revealed that Belarus increased its supply to Afghanistan at the same time to counteract the Russian decline. Russia implemented official export restrictions for gasoline producers towards the end of July in order to boost domestic supply during the...

Sources in the industry said that new requirements for ship entry and inspection have significantly hindered Russian grain exports through Kavkaz on the Black Sea. These exports accounted almost a quarter (24%) of all seaborne imports during last season. According to a presidential decree issued in July, foreign vessels must have permission from the port authorities to enter Russian ports and receive approval from the FSB security services. One of six sources said that since the beginning of August around 350,000 tons of grain has been shipped through Kavkaz. This compares to 1.5 million to two million tons per month...

Kyiv announced on Friday that Ukraine had attacked the Syzran refinery located in Russia's Samara Region in the middle of the night. The previous day it also struck a Caspian Sea cargo vessel and port used to transport supplies from Iran into Russia. The strikes took place hours before the summit between U.S. president Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which Ukraine was not invited to, in Alaska, to discuss war in Ukraine. Russia is also making gains in Ukraine's eastern part. According to new General Staff figures published on Friday, Ukraine, facing regular Russian missiles and drone attacks...

Shipping sources reported that dozens of tankers joined the shadow fleet in 2014, compared to hundreds the year before. The harshest sanctions ever imposed by the West on Russia's oil exports have made it more difficult to find suitable vessels. Last month, the European Union and Britain imposed new sanctions against Russia for its involvement in Ukraine. In addition to the U.S. restrictions they also mean that more than 440 tankers of the shadow fleet are now subject to sanctions. This includes tankers Moscow uses to transport oil to China and India, its two biggest customers. Venezuela, Iran and Russia...

The differential between Brent and Urals crudes was unchanged in Friday's quiet trading, as neither buyers nor sellers rushed to trade due to the turbulent geopolitical environment, traders reported. Indian Oil Corp. and Bharat Oil, India's two largest state refiners, have purchased at least 22,000,000 barrels of non Russian crude for delivery between September and October. This is after the U.S. pressed India to stop buying Russian crude. According to participants on the market, September volumes of Russian crude oil had yet to begin trading and sellers still had plenty of time to negotiate a price with buyers. The schedule...

The differential between Brent and Urals crudes remained unchanged on Wednesday. However, oil loadings in Russia's western port this month could increase after two refineries reduced their output following the Ukrainian drone attacks. In August, Russia will increase oil loadings at Primorsk and Novorossiisk by nearly 2 million barrels a day, which is about 200,000 more than the previous estimate. Four industry sources say that Indian refiners await government instructions on whether they should continue to buy Russian oil, after the United States imposed new 25% tariffs on Indian products over New Delhi’s energy ties to Russia. Four industry sources...

The differential between Brent and Urals oil remained stable on Tuesday. Meanwhile, U.S. president Donald Trump announced that he would raise the tariffs on Indian imports in response to the country's purchase of Russian oil. Trump's threats to India regarding its purchases of Russian crude oil began on July 31 when he announced 25% tariffs for Indian goods along with an unknown penalty. Trump announced on Tuesday that he will increase the tariffs on Indian imports by "substantially" in the next 24 hour, due to New Delhi's continued purchase of Russian oil. India is the biggest importer of Urals oil....

Three industry sources reported that the Rosneft oil refinery in Ryazan, which is operated by Rosneft, has stopped around half of its refining capacities since August 2, following an attack on a Ukrainian drone last week. Sources claim that two oil refinery units have been shut down following the drone strikes. CDU-3, with an output of 8,600 tons per day and CDU-4, with an output of 11,400 tons. Rosneft didn't respond to our request for comment immediately. The Ryazan refinery currently operates with the primary oil-refining unit CDU-6 which has a capacity of 23,200 tonnes per day, or around 48...

Two industry sources confirmed that the primary oil processing has been stopped at Russia's Novokuibyshevsk oil refinery since August 2, following an attack by a Ukrainian drone last week. This was the first drone attack on a major Russian refinery since March 2025. The announcement came after U.S. president Donald Trump set a 10- to 12-day deadline for Moscow and Kiev to reach a ceasefire or face consequences. This underscored his frustration with the ongoing 3-1/2-year conflict. Steve Witkoff, the U.S. Special Envoy to Israel, is expected to visit Russia in this week's time after his current trip to Israel....

Azeri BTC Crude Oil arriving at BTC Ceyhan Terminal in Turkey has returned to its normal specifications, a BP spokeswoman said on Thursday. Last week, it was discovered that Azeri BTC crude cargoes contained organic chloride. This caused the price differentials between them to reach a record low of four years and caused several days delay in loading, partly due to extra testing each cargo underwent. The BP spokesperson stated that oil loadings are still being done from Ceyhan tanks containing oil of the right specification, while BP works with Azerbaijan’s Socar in order to manage oil of the wrong...

The manager of the vessel in Greece that sank earlier this month after it was attacked by Houthi militants near Yemen expressed his relief after watching a video which showed 11 crew members still alive. The Houthis, allied with Iran, released the six-minute video on Monday. They claimed to have rescued seafarers aboard the Eternity C cargo vessel flying the Liberian flag. The Athens based ship management company issued a statement saying that efforts are being made to ensure "safe and rapid return of the sailors to their families". The company said that it was "deeply relieved" to see the...

According to traders and LSEG, India and Taiwan were the top destinations for Russian seaborne Naphtha exports during June. Lower volumes and domestic demand attracted buyers. Naphtha, a feedstock used in the petrochemical sector, is a key ingredient for the production of olefins. These are then used as a raw material to make a variety of products such as plastics. The main destination for Russian naphtha has been the Middle East and Asia since the European Union's embargo against Russian oil products came into force in February 2023. In June, the total export of naphtha from Russian ports to India...

The German prosecutor general announced on Thursday that Italian police had arrested a Ukrainian suspected of coordinating attacks against the Nord Stream Pipelines. He added that he will be brought before a German court after being transferred. No one has taken responsibility for the explosions in September 2022 that damaged the pipelines transporting gas from Russia to Europe. This marked a significant escalation of the Ukraine conflict, and exacerbated the energy crisis in Europe. A statement from the prosecutor’s office stated that the suspect, who is only identified as Serhii in accordance with German privacy laws was part of a...

Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Ukrainian president, said that Russia had struck a gas station in Odesa, a region in southern Ukraine. He added that this was a sign of the need to exert economic pressure on Russia, despite the current U.S. effort to end the conflict. Zelenskiy, writing on X, said: "All these strikes are demonstrations that confirm the necessity to exert pressure on Moscow and impose new tariffs and sanctions until diplomacy becomes fully effective." Zelenskiy didn't specify how important a gas station was. Gas supplies to the area were not reported as a problem by local authorities. Ukraine uses...

The Moscow-installed Governor said that a drone attack by Ukraine late Tuesday night knocked out the power in areas of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Region under Russian control. Russian forces control more than half of the Zaporizhzhia Region in Ukraine's south-east. Kyiv still controls the main administrative centre of the region, and its attacks have regularly knocked out power in Russian-held regions. In 2022, Russia annexed Zaporizhzhia, as well as Kherson, Donetsk, and Luhansk, in the east of Ukraine, around seven months after it invaded its smaller neighbor. Yevgeny Baltsky, the newly appointed governor of Zaporizhzhia by Moscow, wrote in the Telegram...

The German Economy Ministry said that while the oil supplies to Germany via the Druzhba Pipeline from Kazakhstan were temporarily disrupted by Ukrainian attacks, they have been restored. The Ukrainian military announced on Monday that it had used drones to strike an oil pumping facility in Russia's Tambov Region, which they said was part Moscow's war efforts in Ukraine. This led to the suspension in supply via the Druzhba Pipeline. The PCK refinery in Schwedt, Germany - the largest in the country - is partly supplied by crude oil from Kazakhstan transported through the pipeline. The delivery route was briefly...

U.S. president Donald Trump announced on Monday that if a deal is reached to end Russia's conflict in Ukraine, the United States will "help" Europe provide security for Ukraine. This was as he began a hastily-arranged White House discussion to discuss a way to peace. Trump, who was seated next to Zelenskiy in the Oval Office, expressed his hope that the summit on Monday could lead to a meeting trilateral with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He also said that he believed Putin wanted the war to be over. Zelenskiy, along with a group European leaders, arrived in Washington under increased...

Two sources familiar with the situation said that Lukoil, a Russian oil company, shut down its Volgograd refinery after it was hit by drones. Ukraine intensified drone strikes on Russian oil installations last week. The attacks targeted major refineries, oil depots and other oil-related facilities in the south and central regions of Russia. This was done daily to prepare for a meeting between U.S. president Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin. According to market sources, Volgograd Refinery was attacked on August 13 by drones and oil processing at the crude distillation unit CDU-5 has been suspended. This unit has...

Azerbaijani statistics showed that Azerbaijan exported 16.2 million tons of oil via the Baku, Tbilisi, and Ceyhan pipelines in January-July, a drop of 5.9% compared to a year ago. The route had been contaminated with tainted crude oil. BP operates the Azeri Chirag and Guneshli Oilfields. The BTC pipeline runs through Georgia into Turkey. Exports are down because of a gradual decline in Azerbaijani oil reserves. Last month, organic chloride was detected in Azeri BTC cargoes. This pushed the price differentials down to their lowest level in four years and delayed loading. Oilfields use organic chloride to increase extraction and...

Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Peter Szijjarto stated on Monday that the Russian crude oil flow to Hungary was halted following an attack by Ukraine on a transformer on the Druzhba Pipeline. The Druzhba Pipeline, which transports Russian crude oil through Belarus and Ukraine and Hungary to Slovakia, is the main route by which Hungary imports its crude oil. Szijjarto posted on Facebook that he spoke to Russian Deputy Minister of Energy Pavel Sorokin, who informed him that experts are working to restore transformer station. However, it is unclear when deliveries will be resumed. Szijjarto said, "This latest attack on...

Azerbaijani statistics showed that Azerbaijan exported 16.2 million tons of oil via the Baku, Tbilisi, and Ceyhan pipelines between January and July, a 5.9% decline from the previous year. The route had been contaminated with contaminated oil. BP operates the Azeri Chirag and Guneshli Oilfields. The BTC pipeline runs through Georgia into Turkey. Exports are down because of a gradual decline in Azerbaijani oil reserves. Last month, organic chloride was detected in Azeri BTC cargoes. This pushed the price differential to its lowest level in four years and delayed loading. Oilfields use organic chloride to increase extraction and it must...

Energy markets are closely watching developments that may affect global oil and gas supply as U.S. president Donald Trump meets Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday in Alaska. Trump said that Putin seemed ready to negotiate a peace in Ukraine after warning the day before of "serious implications" for Russia, if a deal wasn't reached. The possibility of a reduction in sanctions is still uncertain, especially given the European opposition to any bilateral U.S./Russia agreement. A ceasefire would stop the attacks on energy installations in Russia and Ukraine. The following is a list of recent attacks on energy sites in...

Officials have confirmed that when U.S. president Donald Trump hosts the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia at the White House this Friday, it will culminate with the signing of an agreement for peace, which includes exclusive U.S. rights of development to a strategic corridor running through the South Caucasus. Since the late 1980s, Armenia and Azerbaijan are at odds. This is because Nagorno Karabakh - a region of Azerbaijan that was populated primarily by ethnic Armenians - separated from Azerbaijan. Both Armenia and Azerbaijan gained independence from the Soviet Union by 1991. Peace could be achieved in the South...

Two industry sources say that Russia will increase its exports to two million barrels of oil per day from its western ports in August. This is about 200,000 barrels more than the previous estimate. The reason for this is because two refineries have cut back on their production following drone attacks by Ukraine. The additional oil could add downward pressure on the global oil markets, as OPEC+ and its allies including Russia have already agreed to increase their output. Following the drone attacks late on Saturday, several crude distillation unit at Rosneft's refineries in Ryazan, and Novokuibyshevsk, were shut down....