By Kateryna Mykhailova
Copyright kyivpost
Ukraine will limit diesel imports from India starting Oct. 1, 2025, with all shipments required to undergo sampling and laboratory testing.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) sent this requirement to the Energy Customs on Monday, Sept. 15.
Ukraine turned to Indian diesel after the Kremenchuk oil refinery, a key domestic supplier, was destroyed in June 2025 by a Russian strike.
Indian fuel then became an alternative, accounting for 18% of Ukraine’s diesel imports in August at 119,000 tons, according to Enkorr data.
But Ukraine is now curbing Indian diesel imports as they are likely to contain Russian crude since India is the world’s second-largest buyer of Russian oil after China.
In 2024, Russia accounted for nearly 36% of India’s total crude oil imports, up from roughly 2% before the 2022 invasion, according to the country’s commerce ministry data reported by The New Indian Express.
The move mirrors restrictions Ukraine imposed on diesel from Turkey in September 2023, Enkorr reported. At the time, several Turkish ports handling Russian diesel were flagged as high-risk. All shipments from these ports were subject to additional checks, including laboratory analysis.
Since September 2023, Ukraine has imported 65,800 tons of diesel from Turkish ports in the Marmara and Turpas regions, with 71% of the shipments arriving after April 2025, Enkorr wrote, citing data from Ukrainian energy consultancy A-95. Monthly imports from these ports previously averaged around 47,200 tons.
Traders in Romania expect demand to shift to other southern sources after the Indian fuel ban.
“Often, supply will come from the Mediterranean, but the main source will be the Middle East,” Enkorr quoted Romanian oil & gas trading company Oscar Downstream. “Prices for coming shipments will be higher.”
In August, diesel shipments resumed to Romania’s Constanța port from Italy and Saudi Arabia. These sources last supplied fuel in late 2024. Some traders noted Indian diesel was popular because it was cheaper, not because other sources were unavailable, Enkorr wrote.
Tank suppliers say the market can replace Indian volumes. Hellenic Petroleum and Motor Oil can cover shortfalls from Constanța. STAR can supply additional shipments as Turkey’s peak consumption season ends.
Traders say the Ukrainian market can adjust quickly to changes, ensuring a steady supply of diesel despite import restrictions.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense recently removed an old rule that required diesel fuel to have a flash point of 62 degrees Celsius, a standard in place since Soviet times, according to a Facebook update by Serhiy Kuyun, director of the Consulting Group A-95.
This rule had limited production to just two refineries in the country – “Ukrtatnafta” in Kremenchuk and the Polish Orlen, which produced a special “Soviet-style” diesel grade for Ukrnafta, Kuyun said.
After the attacks in June 2025, the Kremenchuk plant effectively ceased operations. At the same time, Polish capacities cannot meet demand, so according to Kuyun, Indian diesel appeared on the market in July, complying with the old Soviet-era standard.
