According to a joint investigation by Global Witness, the Centre for Energy and Clean Air Research (CREA) and the Centre for the Study of Democracy (CSD), Neftochim Burgas, Bulgaria’s largest refinery, is allegedly taking advantage of Bulgaria’s sanctions exemptions and buying Russian crude oil worth an estimated €1.13 billion in direct tax revenues for Moscow.
The investigation revealed on Thursday 9 November highlights that the refinery - which is majority owned and operated by Russian giant Lukoil - gobbled up more than 4.95 million tonnes of Russian crude during the first ten months of 2023.
According to CREA, Bulgaria will be the fourth largest buyer of Russian crude oil by sea, behind India, China and Turkey in 2023. The survey shows that, while before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the refinery’s consumption of Russian oil represented around 70% of its total imports, this figure rose to 93% in the first ten months of this year.
In June 2022, the EU adopted a ban on imports of Russian crude oil and petroleum products by sea, but Bulgaria has been given until 31 December 2024 to adapt its refinery (see EUROPE 12965/9).
See the study: https://aeur.eu/f/9gy (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)