“Turkey sharply cut imports of flagship Russian Urals oil – ReutersIn November, Turkey reduced imports of Russian Urals crude oil by 100,000 barrels per day, to approximately 200,000 barrels per day. This comes amid tightening Western sanctions and the transition of Turkish refineries to alternative grades such as Kazakhstan’s CPC Blend and Iraq’s Basrah.
”, — write: unn.ua
DetailsUrals oil supplies to Turkey fell by 100,000 barrels per day compared to October levels, and total imports last month dropped to approximately 200,000 barrels per day, according to Kpler and LSEG data.
Turkey has become one of the largest buyers of Russian oil since 2022, when European buyers stopped purchases, and has since ranked second among importers of Urals oil, Russia’s main export grade, by sea, according to LSEG data.
The decline comes as US sanctions against Russian giants Lukoil and Rosneft have narrowed the circle of suppliers with whom Turkish refineries can deal.
In addition, the EU’s planned ban on the purchase of fuel produced from Russian oil, which is due to come into force at the end of January 2026, is prompting Turkish companies to diversify their raw material resources.
With the reduction in Urals supplies, Turkey has increased imports of alternative crude oil grades, including Kazakh CPC Blend and KEBCO, as well as Iraqi Basrah, according to Kpler data.
CPC Blend, although loaded from the Russian port of Yuzhnaya Ozereyevka, is mostly produced by Kazakh companies. The volume of imports from Kazakhstan is not subject to Western energy sanctions and restrictions on Russian oil.
In November, Turkey imported 105,000 barrels per day of Kazakh CPC Blend, the highest level of such imports since February 2024, according to Kpler data. Turkey also imported some volumes of Russian-origin CPC Blend in 2025 but stopped imports from September.
In June, Urals oil imports to Turkey reached a multi-month high of almost 400,000 barrels per day, according to Kpler data.
However, the ability of Turkish refineries to make alternative purchases is limited, as the supply of oil similar in quality to Urals in the Mediterranean market is low.
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