EU member states purchased 100 per cent of Russian liquefied natural gas from the Arctic Yamal LNG facility just months before the bloc’s planned full ban on such imports from Moscow.

According to advocacy group Urgewald, the EU imported 1.54 million tonnes of LNG from Russia’s Yamal facility, delivered across 21 cargoes. The purchases mark the first time since April 2018 that every shipment was destined for European ports, maritime news outlet GCaptain reported.

The record import in February follows an already high level in January, when EU buyers accounted for 93 per cent of Yamal’s production.

‘February’s numbers tell a stark story. Every single Yamal cargo went to Europe. Russia had no alternative customer and remained fully dependent on access to EU ports,’ said Sebastian Rötters, a sanctions campaigner at Urgewald. Notably, zero shipments were delivered to China or other Asian markets, compared to four Asia-bound cargoes in February 2025.

According to the report, European shipping companies remain central to the trade: Seapeak (UK) and Dynagas (Greece) carried 17 of the 21 cargoes, while European insurers continue to provide critical coverage for the vessels.

‘The February figures underscore that European infrastructure and maritime services remain central to Russia’s LNG export revenues,’ Urgewald said.

The European Union is planning a full ban on Russian natural gas and LNG imports from 1 January 2027, less than a year after the record purchases. Ironically, just days after the report emerged, on 18 March, the EU introduced the first concrete phase of the ban, prohibiting member states from entering into new contracts for importing Russian natural gas signed after 17 June 2025, while also banning spot imports of Russian gas and LNG under the REPowerEU framework.

‘Just days after the report emerged, on 18 March, the EU introduced the first concrete phase of the ban’

The record import of Russian LNG by EU member states highlights how geopolitical realities differ starkly from the rhetoric of EU leaders. While repeatedly criticizing Hungary and Slovakia for continuing to import Russian pipeline oil and gas—due to their landlocked geographical position and favourable contracts—member states have simultaneously purchased record quantities of Russian LNG.

It also highlights the strategic short-sightedness of European leadership, as the first major crisis disrupting Middle Eastern supply routes led to a sharp rise in gas, electricity, oil, and LNG prices across European markets—while Russian supply routes remained largely stable.

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