Russia made $24 billion selling energy to China and India in just three months after its military operation in Ukraine, Bloomberg reported, showing how rising global prices are limiting US and European efforts to punish Russian President Vladimir Putin.

China spent about $18.9 billion buying Russian oil, gas and coal in the three months to the end of May, almost double what it was a year ago, according to the latest customs data. India spent about $5.1 billion in the same period, five times more than last year. This is about $13 billion more than Russia’s income from both countries compared to the same months in 2021.

This huge spending compensates Russia for the cutback caused by purchases by the US and some other countries that have suspended or slowed down purchases to punish Moscow for the war. The embargo raised the price of alternative supplies and led to massive inflation that threatened to push major economies into recession.