Turkey is stepping up purchases of non-Russian oil in response to new Western sanctions against Russia.
According to sources, one of Turkey’s leading oil refineries, STAR (SOCAR Turkey Aegean Refinery), recently purchased four cargoes of crude oil from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and other suppliers not linked to Russia. The expected deliveries are due in December.
Such moves indicate a reduction in the share of Russian oil in STAR’s refining mix.
According to analytics firm Kpler, in September and October Russian oil accounted for virtually all of STAR’s throughput – around 210,000 barrels per day.
Another major Turkish refinery, Tupras, is also ramping up purchases of non-Russian grades, similar in quality to Russian Urals, including Iraqi supplies, sources said.
According to sources, Tupras, which operates two large refineries in Turkey, could completely halt imports of Russian oil at one facility to continue exporting fuel to Europe without breaching EU sanctions; at the other plant, it is likely to continue processing Russian feedstock.
In this context it is also noted that on October 22 the United States imposed sanctions on Lukoil and Rosneft for the lack of a serious commitment to peace aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. Along with these entities, their subsidiaries involved in various aspects of extraction, exploration, logistics, and refining were included on the list.
On October 30, Lukoil said it had accepted Gunvor Group’s offer to sell its overseas subsidiary Lukoil International GmbH.
Sanctions context and implications for supply
These actions come amid Western efforts to constrain Russia’s energy sector and ensure uninterrupted supplies to Europe within the framework of existing sanctions.