An employee of Irkutsk Oil Co. in Russia holding crude oil.Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters The Indian government has asked state-owned oil companies buy large volumes of cheap Russian crude, The Wall Street Journal reported. Russian crude prices plunged after Moscow invaded Ukraine in late February, prompting sanctions by Western nations. Russia's Rosneft is allowing traders to pay for their crude oil months after delivery without a letter of credit from a bank, the report said.