Turkey has doubled its purchases of Russian oil this year as Moscow pivots to new buyers

According to Refinitiv data, Turkey has doubled its imports of Russian oil this year, making it one of a few countries to step in.

In the first two years of the new century, imports have increased from 98,000 to 200,000 barrels a day, according to a report.

Turkey has sharply increased their purchases of Russian oil this year as Western buyers have shied away from the country's crude.

Although Western sanctions have allowed the trade of energy to continue, some companies and countries in the European Union have self-sanctioned and avoided touching Russian products, which has led to a drop in the bloc's imports.

Russia's oil production has remained strong despite other buyers increasing their purchases. Russian crude is cheaper than international benchmark prices because of sanctions.

Turkey's main refinery has increased their imports of Russian oil while cutting back on purchases from the Middle East and North Sea.

Turkey, which is not a member of the European Union, is growing closer to Moscow. The presidents of Turkey and Russia met in August.

India and China have increased their purchases of Russian oil.

The International Energy Agency says that Russian oil production has held up better than anticipated. IEA data shows that production was not changed from the previous year.

The rerouting of flows to India, China, Turkey and others has mitigated upstream losses, according to the IEA.

The EU's plans to phase out the vast majority of oil imports from Russia by early next year will likely cause bigger falls in production.