Russia has become the main supplier of oil to Syria. This could put the country at risk of new sanctions

Russia has significantly increased oil supplies to Syria and has effectively become its main energy partner. As a result, Syria may face new sanctions.

Reuters writes about this based on official reports and data from ship tracking services LSEG, MarineTraffic and Shipnext.

According to the agency, in 2026, supplies of Russian oil and petroleum products to Syria increased by approximately 75% compared to last year, reaching almost 60 000 barrels per day.

Some of the shipments are being made by vessels under US and EU sanctions. At least 21 tankers are involved. These vessels fly various flags, including Panama, Madagascar, Oman and Russia.

Russia became a key supplier of oil to Syria after the fall of the Bashar Assad regime in December 2024. Before that, the main volumes of crude oil were supplied by Iran, while the Russian Federation mainly exported diesel fuel.

Syrian economist Karam Shaar notes that if political disputes escalate, Washington may demand that Syria stop purchasing Russian oil, which will create additional pressure on the countryʼs new government.

What preceded

On December 8, 2024, the Syrian opposition entered the Syrian capital, Damascus, and overthrew the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, who had been in power for 24 years. Assad himself fled to Moscow.

Syrian rebels formed a transitional government, led by Muhammad Bashir, who led the "Salvation Government" — a political structure created in 2017 in territories controlled by the Syrian opposition, primarily in the province of Idlib.

The leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebel group Ahmed al-Sharaa became the new president of Syria in January 2025.

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