In the first half of 2026, Europe achieved unprecedented imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia’s prominent Yamal LNG project, according to the Financial Times. The continent imported nearly the entire output from the Siberian facility just months before the European Union’s ban on Russian gas imports was set to take effect.
According to data from analytics firm Kpler, purchases by the European Union from Yamal LNG, managed by the private Russian company Novatek, reached a record 9.89 million tons in the first six months of the year—an 18% increase compared to the same period last year.
This surge highlights Europe’s ongoing role in sustaining operations at the flagship Russian energy facility, despite the ongoing war in Ukraine now entering its fifth year.
Estimates from the non-governmental organization Urgewald suggest Europe may have spent as much as €6 billion on these deliveries.
Who is Buying from Russia?
Key European buyers included France, Belgium, and Spain, which imported 3.6 million tons, 2.9 million tons, and 2.7 million tons of LNG from the Yamal project, respectively, in the first half of 2026, according to Kpler data.
Sebastian Rötters, a campaigner for sanctions at Urgewald, described these figures as “striking,” especially given that they reflect a time when Russia intensified its attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure and civilian targets.
In recent years, the import of Russian energy resources to the EU has significantly declined. By 2025, the share of Russian oil in total EU imports dropped to below 3%, but gas from Russia still constituted about 13% of EU imports last year, equating to over €15 billion annually.
