<h1>Major Asian buyer paid about €2.5bn for crude from sanctioned supplier in October, remaining second-largest importer</h1> A major Asian buyer spent about EUR 2.5 billion on crude from a sanctioned supplier in October, unchanged from September, remaining the second-largest purchaser of that country's fossil fuels after another large importer. A think tank report notes total imports from the supplier country were EUR 3.1 billion (crude 81%, coal 11%, oil products 7%). Following new sanctions on major producers, some domestic refiners halted purchases, though private refiners accounted for over two-thirds of imports and state-owned refiners nearly doubled volumes month-on-month. The report highlights discounted pricing, shifting export patterns at an affected refinery, and varied import responses by sanctioning and non-sanctioning countries.