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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.

Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Are some countries still buying Russian oil?

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

By Austin Tannenbaum

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YES

Reuters identified 11 countries that allow their oil companies to remain "major takers of Russian crude" in the midst of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine: China, India, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Hungary, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovakia and Indonesia. The U.S., Canada, Britain and Australia have banned Russian oil imports. Oil and gas giants BP, Shell and TotalEnergies are limiting or phasing out Russian oil dealings.

Another punitive measure taken by governments against Russia is the European Union's removal of seven Russian banks from SWIFT — the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications — which facilitates international money transfers. However, the EU exempted Russian banks handling energy payments given that European nations are still purchasing Russian oil and gas.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Reuters Factbox: Who is still buying Russian crude oil

Reuters EU bars 7 Russian banks from SWIFT, but spares those in energy

Investopedia How the SWIFT System Works

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Gigafact

Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.