WHEN WESTERN nations started boycotting Russian oil in 2022, India noticed a possibility. Some 2.6m barrels a day (b/d) of crude as soon as destined for Europe have been obtainable—at a candy low cost. India, which purchased subsequent to no oil from Russia in 2021, pounced. It has remained one in every of Russia’s largest clients ever since. As we speak it imports almost 2m b/d of Russian “bitter”, heavy crude, representing 35-40% of its crude imports. This reduces India’s import invoice at a time when the world’s fastest-growing huge economic system burns ever extra petroleum. Native refiners make a killing by processing the stuff into fuels that they then export at full value.