FRANKFURT, June 28 (Reuters) - German crude oil imports in January through April fell 10.8% year on year as the COVID-19 pandemic and related lockdowns hit industry but year-on-year losses were lower than in January-March as the economy started to improve, official data showed. Oil volumes in the four months fell to 24.8 million tonnes from 27.8 million in the same months of 2020, statistics from the BAFA foreign trade office showed. Russia accounted for 35.5% of Germany’s oil imports in the period, followed by 21.9% from the British and Norwegian North Sea, while imports from members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) contributed 15.0%. The rest was shared among other sources, including the United States. Germany spent 9.2 billion euros ($10.98 billion) on crude imports in the period, 5.7% more than a year earlier, reflecting demand-led oil price gains this year that have driven current levels to their highest since October 2018. Average oil prices paid for each tonne at the German border in January-April were 18.0% up from a year earlier at 372.11 euros ($444.19), BAFA said. $1 = 0.8377 euros Reporting by Vera Eckert Editing by Mark Potter Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.