European Union accused of fueling Russian war effort with imports of liquefied natural gas. Europe continues to import large quantities of gas from the Yamal complex, according to new data
Despite Brussels’ commitment to ban imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) by 2027, new data indicates that the European Union continues to play a central role in the logistics and financial chain of one of Russia’s largest energy projects. In 2025 alone, the Kremlin will have raised around 7.2 billion euros from the export of LNG to Europe.
According to an analysis by the non-governmental organization Urgewald, more than 15 million tonnes of LNG from the Yamal complex in northern Siberia arrived at EU ports last year. The volume not only remained high but also reinforced Europe’s weight in the global destination of this gas: the European share of Yamal exports rose to 76.1%, compared to 75.4% recorded in 2024, in the fourth year of the conflict in Ukraine.
Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukrainian territory in 2022, Europe has significantly reduced the import of Russian gas via pipeline. However, LNG has escaped the harshest sanctions, remaining legal under European law. The reluctance to move forward with an immediate ban is explained, in part, by the dependence of several Central and Eastern European countries on this type of energy supply.
The logistics of the Yamal project are based on a highly specialized fleet of Arc7 class icebreakers, designed specifically to operate in Arctic waters. According to Urgewald, two European companies are responsible for more than two thirds of the transport of this LNG: the British Seapeak, which will have ensured 37.3% of the volume transported, and the Greek Dynagas, with 34.3%. Eleven of the 14 Arc7 ships in operation belong to these two companies, with Seapeak being owned by the North American investment fund Stonepeak.
The United Kingdom has already announced its intention to move, later this year, towards a ban on the provision of maritime services to ships carrying Russian LNG, in an attempt to tighten the siege on Moscow’s energy sector.
For activists, the role of European ports is crucial to the economic viability of the Yamal project. “While Brussels concludes agreements to phase out Russian gas, our ports continue to function as logistical lungs for Russia’s largest LNG terminal”, accuses Sebastian Rötters, responsible for energy and sanctions campaigns at Urgewald. “Each discharge at a European port represents direct money to a war chest that fuels the conflict in Ukraine.”
Belgium appears as one of the main entry points. In 2025, 58 ships unloaded 4.2 million tons of LNG at the port of Zeebrugge. In the same period, only 51 ships arrived at Chinese ports, with a total of 3.6 million tons. France leads the list of European importers, with 87 ships and 6.3 million tons delivered to the ports of Dunkirk and Montoir. The French company TotalEnergies continues, in fact, to be a major investor in the Yamal project.
Access to European ports allows Arc7 ships to quickly return to the Arctic for new cargo, avoiding much longer journeys to Asia. Without this infrastructure, transport costs and times would increase significantly, putting the project’s profitability into question.
