Turkish Refineries Cut Russian Oil Purchases

Türkiye’s largest oil refineries have reduced their imports of Russian crude amid international sanctions targeting Lukoil and Rosneft, Orda.kz reports. Turkish companies are now shifting toward alternative suppliers.

According to Reuters, Türkiye — one of the main importers of Russian oil alongside China and India — is diversifying its energy sources in response to sanctions imposed by the U.S., U.K., and EU against Russian producers.

One of the country’s biggest refineries, the STAR refinery, owned by Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR, recently bought four shipments of oil from Kazakhstan, Iraq, and other countries. Reuters estimates the total volume of these deliveries at 77,000–129,000 barrels per day. Until recently, STAR relied almost entirely on Russian crude — 210,000 barrels per day in September and October.

One in four oil shipments is from Kazakhstan's KEBCO, similar in quality to Russia's Urals, but produced in Kazakhstan. This year, the STAR refinery imported only one shipment of Kazakhstan's crude, and none in 2024, Reuters reported, citing two industry sources.

Another major Turkish refiner, Tüpraş, which operates two large facilities, is also increasing its purchases of crude similar in quality to Russia’s Urals. Reuters lists Iraq, Brazil, and Angola among the new suppliers, though Kazakhstan could also become a potential source for Tüpraş in the near future.

Currently, Russian crude accounts for 47% of Türkiye’s total oil imports. Between January and October, the country imported 669,000 barrels per day, including 317,000 barrels from Russia.

Türkiye is among the top ten importers of Kazakh oil, purchasing about 3% of Kazakhstan’s total exports — roughly two million tons in 2024.

Analysts expect Türkiye’s share of Kazakhstan's oil imports may grow further by the end of 2025.

Original Author: Nikita Drobny