The Russians have found a loophole through which they can avoid the sanctions affecting the oil trade.
Despite being hit by sanctions, Russian oil continues to flow unhindered to Europe thanks to a clever trick by Moscow. Recent reports from the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) and the Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD) also support this observation, highlighting that
a large amount of Russian oil arrives in the EU with Turkish help.
Since the outbreak of the Russo-Ukraine war, Turkey has reportedly contributed significantly to Russian oil circumventing EU sanctions. In 2023, Turkey became the largest buyer of Russian fossil energy carriers, with imports worth 42.2 billion euros. This represents a fivefold increase compared to the last decade.
Although the EU and the G7 have banned Russian crude oil imports, European countries continue to buy large quantities of oil from Turkey, regardless of its origin. As reported by CREA and CSD
Between February 2023 and February 2024, EU member states imported 5.16 million tons of petroleum products from Turkey, worth 3.1 billion euros.
Most of these products came from three Turkish ports (Ceyhan, Marmara Ereğlisi and Mersin), which are heavily dependent on oil from Russia, while little refining takes place here.
During this period, EU imports of petroleum products from Turkey increased by 107% year-on-year.
At the same time, Turkey's Russian oil imports more than doubled to 17.6 billion euros in 2023, generating an estimated 5.4 billion euros in tax revenue for Russia.
Since Turkey's domestic consumption of oil products has barely increased, these figures suggest that imported Russian fuel has been resold to the West.
