European countries have imported a record amount of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia’s Yamal export terminal this year.
This has provided the Kremlin with an estimated €6 billion (£5 billion) in revenue despite ongoing efforts to reduce reliance on Russian energy.
During the first six months of the year, 136 LNG tankers departed from the Arctic Yamal facility for Europe, delivering nearly 10 million tonnes of gas.
According to data cited by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, this represents a 16% increase compared with the same period last year and has generated Russia’s highest LNG earnings since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.
France received the largest share of the shipments, accounting for around 38% of imports, followed by Belgium with 27% and Spain with 25%.
Smaller volumes also went to the Netherlands and Portugal, while Hungary and Slovakia continue to purchase Russian pipeline gas.
Campaign group Urgewald criticised the increase in imports, arguing that Europe continues to help sustain Russia’s energy exports even as Moscow intensifies its attacks on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure.
Sebastian Rötters, an energy analyst with the organisation, said Europe had imported more than 55,000 tonnes of LNG from Yamal every day on average while Russia stepped up strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities.
Using shipping data from analytics firm Kpler, Urgewald found that 97% of Yamal’s LNG exports during the first half of the year were sent to Europe, with many cargoes redirected from Asian markets.
The surge comes ahead of tougher EU restrictions on Russian gas. Brussels prohibited new short-term gas contracts with Russia in April, while a broader ban covering existing long-term agreements is scheduled to take effect in January next year.
Europe’s efforts to replace Russian gas have also been complicated by renewed instability in the Middle East. Disruptions linked to Donald Trump’s conflict with Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have interrupted Qatari gas exports, which supplied roughly 7% of the EU’s gas demand last year.
To offset the shortfall, European countries have increased purchases from suppliers including Algeria, Nigeria and, despite tensions, the United States.
Imports of American LNG rose by 60% last year and increased by a further 27% during the first quarter of 2026, according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. The US now supplies nearly two-thirds of the EU’s LNG imports, while Russia still accounts for around 13%.
Some member states remain particularly dependent on Russian gas. Around a quarter of Spain’s gas imports still come from Russia, while Belgium sources more than half of its gas from Russian supplies.
The rise in imports also reflects Europe’s efforts to replenish gas reserves before winter. EU storage facilities are currently around half full, below the roughly two-thirds level typically reached by this point in the year. Moreover, the record purchase comes in the context of upcoming sanctions.
