In the context of tightening sanctions by the West, over the past year, Russia has increased exports of FO (fuel oil) and VGO (vacuum gas oil) to Saudi Arabia more than 6 times compared to 4 years ago.
The information was announced by Rosneft Group General Director Igor Sechin at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Petersburg (SPIEF) on June 21.
According to Mr. Sechin, this step not only helps Russia find an output for heavy oil products, but also brings strategic benefits to Saudi Arabia - a country with a high demand for raw materials for the energy industry but still wants to preserve crude oil exports.
Over the past 12 months, Russian fuel oil and aerospace supplies to Saudi Arabia have been six times higher than four years ago, Sechin stressed.
These figures show a strong change in the global energy balance, as major countries not only seek to adapt but also reshape the oil supply chain in a new direction.
Russia, which is a major crude oil exporter, has strongly shifted to selling heavy oil products to Saudi Arabia, the leader of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), considered a "double-flag country", both solving the outputs for the domestic petrochemical industry and helping the Middle East region's ally maintain stable crude oil exports while still ensuring oil refining capacity.
Not only Saudi Arabia, Sechin said, refineries in India - the world's second largest importer of Russian oil - are also taking advantage of the same opportunity. In the past 3 years, exports of refined oil products from India to Europe have almost doubled, largely thanks to cheap raw materials from Russia.
The figures and strategies just published at SPIEF 2025 have revealed the reality that despite being surrounded by sanctions, Russia is still turning the oil game around by silently but effectively linking with other oil and gas powers, in which Saudi Arabia is emerging as a new fulcrum in the global geopolitical and energy game.
