Ukraine accuse Albanese Government of allowing Russian-sourced fuel into Australia, pumping millions to Putin

New analysis suggests so-called “blood oil” shipments of fuel derived from Russian crude is continuing to flow into Australia, pumping an estimated $123m in revenue back to Vladimir Putin’s regime over the past four months alone.

Data compiled by the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations (AFUO) shows between July and October eight tankers have arrived in the country carrying hundreds of thousands of tonnes worth of fuel sourced originally from Russia.

The latest to arrive was the cargo ship Proteus Stephanie which docked at Port Botany in Sydney late on Sunday and is thought to be carrying an estimated 58,000 tonnes of fuel derived from Russian crude, worth an estimated $12.5m in revenue for Moscow.

Shortly after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Australia and other Western countries slapped sanctions on Russian crude and refined oil imports, but illegal oil is still entering the country via countries such as India.

Chair of the AFUO, Kateryna Argyrou, says despite the Australian Government eliminating all direct Russian energy purchases, this country is now the single largest buyer of Russian-derived refined fuel products in the world.

“Every litre of fuel containing Russian crude funds the weapons hitting Ukrainian hospitals and kindergartens. Fuel importers know this. The Albanese Government knows this. They must stop avoiding responsibility for this problem and take action to close this loophole.”

“Fuel importers have had two and a half years to clean up their supply chains voluntarily. If they won’t act, the government must mandate it, the way Europe and the UK have. Anything less is complicity.”

“The Albanese Government says it supports Ukraine. The Australian community still overwhelmingly supports Ukraine. But Australian fuel importers are undermining that support every single day. This is a moral failure,” she added.

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade insists Australia “has been clear since day one that Russia, and those enabling its illegal invasion, will face consequences”.

“Since February 2022, Australia has imposed targeted financial sanctions on more than 1600 individuals and entities and imposed wide-ranging trade sanctions.”

Last week the United States announced new sanctions targeting Russia’s two largest oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil in an effort to pressure Moscow to negotiate a peace deal in Ukraine.

The announcement came days after the UK sanctioned the same two Russian oil companies, while European Union countries have also issued their own new sanctions that ban the import of Russian liquefied natural gas from January 2027.

This week the federal opposition is expected to demand answers from the Albanese government during parliamentary question time, over why Russian-derived oil products are still entering Australia.