Russia has resumed importing gasoline and diesel at scale for the first time since the war began, according to maritime intelligence firm Windward, which combined its shipping data with Vortexa trade-flow figures. The analysis estimates Russian fuel imports reached approximately 3.85 million barrels across July and August 2026, climbing from roughly 500,000 barrels in July to about 3.4 million barrels in August as damage to Russian refining capacity from sustained Ukrainian strikes deepened. Gasoline and gasoline-blending components made up an estimated 3.1 million barrels of that total, Windward reports.
Tanger Med Named as Blending Point
According to Windward’s analysis, a significant portion of the fuel reaching Russia is UK- and EU-origin product routed through blending and storage infrastructure at Morocco’s Tanger Med port. The firm’s data centers on a 3.35-million-barrel, 19-tank terminal at the port, which it says received around 1.0 million barrels of gasoline between January and August 2026 via nine tankers loading in Spain, the Netherlands, Cyprus, Italy, and the UK.
Windward reports that roughly 1.0 million barrels were then shipped from the same terminal to Russian Arctic and Baltic ports between June and July 2026 across three tankers, with an additional 500,000 barrels reportedly in transit to Russia at the time of the report. The firm notes that tracked outflow to Russia exceeds tracked 2026 EU/UK inflow, which it says is consistent with blending against older stock to obscure cargo origin. Windward states these are the first Morocco-to-Russia gasoline shipments recorded in Vortexa’s data going back to 2016, and that the terminal’s last non-Russia gasoline export was approximately 260,000 barrels to Spain in May 2026.
Windward also points out that the same facility previously handled Russian diesel between 2023 and 2025, which was re-exported to European Mediterranean ports labeled as Moroccan product — suggesting, in the firm’s assessment, that the same infrastructure may now be operating in the reverse direction.
Record South Korean Volumes to Russia’s Far East
Separately, Windward’s data shows eight tankers moved an estimated 780,000 barrels of South Korean diesel and gasoline to Russia’s eastern ports during July and August, which the firm describes as a record volume. The vessels involved ranged from small coastal tankers to a 46,308 dwt MR tanker, flagged variously to Russia, Hong Kong, and other jurisdictions, with several under EU/UK sanctions, according to Windward.
Among the documented movements, Windward cites a Barbados-flagged tanker that loaded roughly 340,000 barrels of finished gasoline at a Yeosu storage terminal before transferring it via ship-to-ship operation to an EU/UK-sanctioned vessel bound for Vladivostok on August 5. The firm also references a Russia-flagged, sanctioned tanker carrying about 89,000 barrels of diesel/gasoil from Ulsan/Onsan to Vladivostok, alongside repeated voyages by several other vessels between South Korean ports and Russian Far East destinations including Magadan, Nakhodka, and Korsakov.
Does This Matter to You?
Windward’s analysis notes that EU and UK regulators have signaled intent to target facilitators of sanctions evasion, including traders, terminal operators, and insurers, in addition to shadow fleet vessels themselves. Currently, according to the report, there is no formal requirement for shipowners, charterers, or traders to verify the downstream destination of their cargoes.
For oil traders, tank storage operators, and others handling EU/UK-origin refined product, this reporting illustrates how cargoes entering third-country blending infrastructure can potentially resurface at Russian ports, according to Windward’s analysis. The firm suggests this creates a compliance exposure point worth monitoring, particularly as enforcement attention around sanctions circumvention appears to be shifting toward supply chain intermediaries rather than solely vessel operators.
Gulf Bunkering does not provide operational or security guidance. This article is for informational purposes only. Operators should consult flag state authorities, P&I clubs, and relevant advisories for decisions relating to transit planning.
Sources: Windward (Maritime Intelligence and Operations Center), analysis by Michelle Wiese Bockmann, Senior Maritime Intelligence Analyst, Windward MIOC
