According to a document, Russia wants payments from India for its oil in dirhams.

As per three people and a document, Russia is requesting payment in United Arab Emirates dirhams for oil supplies to some Indian customers as Moscow swings away from the U.S. dollar to protect itself from the consequences of Western sanctions.

The United States and its allies have imposed several sanctions on Russia as a result of its invasion of Ukraine in late February, which Moscow refers to as a "special military operation."

By an invoice obtained by Reuters, payment for the oil supply to one refiner is asked in dirhams, but the cost is computed in dollars.

Russia's largest oil producer, Rosneft, is supplying crude to India, its second-largest oil customer after China, through trading companies like Everest Energy and Coral Energy.

Numerous oil importers have avoided Moscow as a result of Western sanctions, driving down spot prices for Russian crude relative to other grades to record lows.

Due to high freight costs, Indian refiners, which rarely purchased Russian oil, now had the chance to purchase exports at significant discounts to Brent and Middle Eastern commodities.

According to the sources, at least two Indian refiners have already cleared some payments in dirhams, and more are expected to do so in the upcoming days. Payments were to be transferred to Gazprombank through Mashreq Bank, its correspondent bank in Dubai.

Payments were to be transferred to Gazprombank through Mashreq Bank, its correspondent bank in Dubai.

The United Arab Emirates has not placed sanctions on Moscow in an effort to maintain what it claims is a neutral position, and the payments may only aggravate some Westerners who privately believe that the UAE is taking a pro-Russian attitude.

As per Sergi Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, the country aims to use non-Western currencies more often in its dealings with nations like India.

The nation's finance minister previously stated that Moscow may begin purchasing the currencies of "friendly" nations, using these acquisitions to affect the value of the dollar and the euro in order to counteract the rouble's strong appreciation.

The Uzbek sum and the dirham will soon begin trading at the Moscow currency market.

The financial and commercial hub of the Gulf, Dubai, has become a haven for Russian money.