A former director of Indian Oil Corporation has been appointed to the board of Rosneft in a fresh sign of growing energy ties between India and Russia. G K Satish, who served as Indian Oil's planning and business development chief between 2016 and 2021, has been appointed to the Rosneft board along with 10 other members, the Russian firm said in a statement. The Rosneft board includes five independent directors, including Satish and a representative each from Qatar and the Philippines.

This is the first time an Indian has been appointed to the board of Rosneft. Indian Oil has an annual oil purchase deal with Rosneft, which is renewed annually. It has emerged as one of the buyers of Russian oil since the beginning of the Ukraine war last year.