Turkey’s main oil refineries have begun buying more non-Russian crude following the latest round of Western sanctions on Moscow, two people with direct knowledge of the matter and several industry sources told Reuters.
Turkey, one of the biggest buyers of Russian crude along with China and India, is now adjusting its imports in a move similar to that of Indian refiners, a sign that US, European Union and UK restrictions are tightening on oil sales used to finance Russia’s war in Ukraine.
One of the country’s largest refineries, the SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery (STAR), owned by Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR, has recently purchased four shipments of crude from Iraq, Kazakhstan and other non-Russian producers for delivery in December, the sources said.
These four cargoes amount to between 77,000 and 129,000 barrels per day (bpd) of non-Russian supply, depending on cargo size, based on Reuters calculations. The purchases mean SOCAR will be cutting back on Russian crude.
Russian oil accounted for nearly all of STAR’s crude intake in September and October, averaging around 210,000 bpd, according to data from Kpler.
One of the four new shipments is KEBCO crude, a grade identical in quality to Russia’s Urals but originating from Kazakhstan, according to two sources. SOCAR’s STAR refinery imported only one other KEBCO cargo this year and none in 2024.
The country’s other major refiner, Tüpraş, is also increasing its intake of non-Russian grades similar to Russian Urals, such as Iraqi crude, two sources said, without providing further details.
The refiners’ moves to boost purchases of non-Russian oil in response to the latest sanctions had not been previously reported.
In October, the US, EU and the UK announced sanctions on Russia, increasing the economic and political pressure on Moscow in the hope that it will push President Vladimir Putin toward establishing a cease-fire with Ukraine.
Tüpraş, which operates two major refineries in Turkey, is expected to completely halt Russian crude imports at one of them to maintain fuel exports to Europe while avoiding a breach of incoming EU sanctions, two sources said. The company would continue processing Russian oil at its other plant, they added.
Tüpraş has already diversified its crude supply this year, importing its first-ever shipment from Brazil and awaiting the arrival of its second-ever cargo of Angolan crude, a Mostarda grade shipment scheduled to arrive in early November.
Turkey is expected to receive 141,000 bpd of Iraqi crude in November, up from 99,000 bpd in October and compared with an average of around 80,000 bpd so far this year, according to Kpler data. Figures for December are not yet available.
From January through October, Turkey imported around 669,000 bpd of crude, of which 317,000 bpd — or 47 percent — came from Russia, Kpler data show. That compares with 580,000 bpd during the same period last year, including 333,000 bpd from Russia.
Turkey has repeatedly refused to join Western sanctions against Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan says Turkey seeks to act as a mediator rather than a participant in the conflict, keeping open channels with both Moscow and Kyiv.