Reliance Industries has denied a Bloomberg report claiming Russian oil shipments were heading to its Jamnagar refinery, calling it false. RIL said it has not received Russian crude in recent weeks. The dispute comes amid US tariff threats.
Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has firmly denied reports claiming that Russian oil shipments are heading to its Jamnagar refinery in Gujarat. The company called the claims 'blatantly untrue' and said such reports are harming its reputation. The denial comes after a Bloomberg News report suggested that tankers carrying Russian crude were signalling Jamnagar as their destination, at a time when India’s oil imports are under global political scrutiny.
Reliance rejects Bloomberg report outright
In a statement posted on X on Tuesday, Reliance Industries Limited said a Bloomberg report claiming that “three vessels laden with Russian oil are heading for Reliance Industries Limited’s Jamnagar refinery” was incorrect.
RIL said it has not received any Russian oil cargo at its Jamnagar refinery in the last three weeks and is not expecting any Russian crude oil deliveries in January.
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The company described the report as 'blatantly untrue' and said it was disappointed that its denial was allegedly ignored before publication.
'Tarnishing our image', says Reliance
Reliance said the report had caused reputational damage. In its post on X, the company said it was 'deeply pained' that a media organisation claiming to stand for fair journalism had published what it described as a wrong report.
The company stated that its denial of buying or receiving Russian oil for January deliveries was ignored, and that the report had tarnished its image.
Reliance repeated that there are no committed shipments of Russian crude oil scheduled for January.
What the Bloomberg report claimed
The Bloomberg report was titled 'Ships with Russian oil signal Reliance plant as destination'. It claimed that shipping data showed Russian crude moving towards India’s west coast.
According to Bloomberg, at least three tankers carrying Russian oil were indicating Reliance Industries' Jamnagar refinery as their next destination.
The report said the vessels were carrying nearly 2.2 million barrels of Urals crude, and that they were expected to deliver their cargo early this month.
Bloomberg cited data from analytics firm Kpler, which tracks ship movements based on live signals sent by ship captains about their current location and possible discharge ports.
Bloomberg also carried Reliance's denial
Importantly, Bloomberg’s report itself noted Reliance's denial. According to the report, a Reliance spokesperson said the cargoes had not been purchased by the company and that it had no committed shipments of Russian crude for delivery in January.
Bloomberg also clarified that shipping destinations can change as vessels move closer to India, meaning the signals do not always confirm final delivery points.
Despite this, Reliance has maintained that the overall report was misleading and should not have been published in its current form.
Wider political backdrop: US tariffs and Russian oil
The controversy comes at a sensitive time for India’s oil trade. The United States has recently imposed tariffs on Indian goods, describing them as a “penalty” for India continuing to buy Russian oil.
US President Donald Trump has publicly warned that higher tariffs could follow if India keeps importing Russian crude.
India, however, has consistently defended its oil imports as necessary for domestic energy security.
Congress links issue to Trump-Modi remarks
The issue has also triggered sharp political reactions in India. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge referred to an audio clip of Donald Trump while speaking to reporters.
Kharge claimed that Trump suggested Prime Minister Narendra Modi listens to him on issues such as Russian oil. Kharge said this raised serious questions about whether India’s decisions were influenced by US pressure. Using a pop culture reference, Kharge compared the situation to a dialogue from the film Mr India, saying Trump appeared pleased after speaking to Modi.
The Congress party later repeated its criticism in a post on X. The post quoted Trump as saying that India reduced oil purchases from Russia because Modi wanted to keep him happy.
The party questioned whether India’s oil policy decisions were being shaped by external pressure rather than national interest.
Trump had earlier said that tariffs could be raised quickly if India continued buying Russian oil, even while praising Modi personally.
Oil geopolitics remain in sharp focus
The debate comes amid renewed global attention on oil politics. Recent US actions against Venezuela and continued tensions over Russian energy exports have placed oil trade under intense international scrutiny.
India has repeatedly said that its energy decisions are guided by affordability and supply security for its population, not politics.
Reliance’s strong denial now places the focus back on the accuracy of shipping data and how such information is reported.
(With inputs from agencies)
