The world’s third-biggest crude importer purchased an average of 1.2 million barrels a day from Russia in December, according to data from Vortexa.Indian refiners have been lapping up cheap Russian crude since the invasion of Ukraine caused many buyers to shun the shipments.India meets more than 85% of its oil demand via imports, which makes it highly vulnerable to price volatility.The state-owned refiners, who have been prevented by the government from raising pump prices of diesel and gasoline since May, have increasingly favored cheaper Russian imports.Purchases from Iraq climbed 7% to around 886,000 barrels a day, while those from Saudi Arabia increased 12% to about 748,000 barrels a day, according to Vortexa."