China plans to import a record amount of Russian oil from the "Sokol" brand this March, following India's suspension of purchases due to U.S. sanctions, as reported by Bloomberg citing data analysis firm Kepler. According to estimates from Kepler, China is expected to receive about 1.7 million barrels per day of Russian oil from the "Sokol" brand this month. China has been a regular buyer of Russian oil since the beginning of the special military operation in Ukraine, recently seizing the opportunity to increase its purchases of the "Sokol" brand following a decrease in this type of Russian oil flowing to India.
Russia has increased its energy and fuel exports by $56 billion in 2023 despite Western sanctions on these exports, underscoring Russia's significance in the global energy market and the failure of the sanctions. According to a media report, Russia's exports to friendly countries and the European Union last year amounted to $218.3 billion, compared to $162.4 billion from 2019 to 2021.
