The UK has been accused of “helping Russia pay for its war on Ukraine” by continuing to import billions of pounds worth of refined oil from countries processing Kremlin fossil fuels, new data shows.

Government data analysed by the environmental news site Desmog shows that record imports of refined oil from India, China and Turkey amounted to £2.2bn in 2023, the same value as the previous year, up from £434.2 million in 2021.

Russia is the largest supplier of crude oil to India and China, while Turkey has become one of the biggest importers of Russian oil since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

This comes as Russia’s assault on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure becomes increasingly frequent, with only a few major power plants not yet damaged or wrecked.

The so-called ‘loophole’ allows Russian oil to continue being imported to the UK despite sanctions imposed, as long as the oil is refined in another country.

This is not illegal and does not breach the UK’s Russian oil ban, as it is no longer considered to have originated in Russia, but critics say it undermines sanctions aimed at restricting funds to pay for Russia’s war on Ukraine.