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Türkiye reduced its imports of Russia’s flagship Urals crude oil in November, according to shipping data from energy analytics firms, as Western sanctions on Russian energy intensified and Turkish refineries turned to alternative crude sources.
Imports of Urals crude fell to around 200,000 barrels per day (bpd), a decrease of 100,000 bpd from October, data compiled by Reuters from Kpler and LSEG showed.
Türkiye has become the second-largest seaborne buyer of Urals crude after India, following the European Union’s 2022 ban on Russian oil.
The latest drop in Russian oil purchases comes as U.S. sanctions targeting major Russian oil companies Lukoil and Rosneft have made it harder for Turkish refiners to transact with sanctioned entities.
At the same time, the European Union is set to enforce a ban on fuels derived from Russian crude oil starting at the end of January 2026, further limiting Türkiye’s ability to process Russian-origin oil products for international markets.
In November, Türkiye ramped up its imports of Kazakhstan’s CPC Blend crude to 105,000 bpd—the highest monthly volume since February 2024, according to Kpler. CPC Blend, though exported through the Russian Black Sea port of Yuzhnaya Ozereyevka, is primarily produced by Kazakh companies and is exempt from Western sanctions.
Türkiye had also imported some Russian-origin CPC volumes earlier in 2025, but those ceased in September, the report said.
Alongside Kazakh flows, Turkish refiners also turned to Iraq’s Basrah grade and KEBCO crude as replacements for Urals. However, the availability of crude oil with similar properties to Urals in the Mediterranean region remains limited, constraining Türkiye’s ability to fully substitute its Russian volumes.
Official data shows that Türkiye’s total imports of crude oil and petroleum products rose by 30.1% year-on-year in September, reaching 4.23 million metric tons—or approximately 31 million barrels. Russia remained the largest supplier, accounting for 2.95 million metric tons, equivalent to roughly 21.6 million barrels, and representing nearly 70% of total imports.
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