Russian liquefied gas ships regularly dock in ports in Belgium and France. From there, the gas is transported to the European pipeline network. Despite Russia's aggressive war, Putin earns billions from these exports. According to a study by the environmental organization “Greenpeace“ Russia continues to earn a lot from its energy deals with companies from Germany and other EU countries. In the first eight months of this year alone, 12.8 billion cubic meters of Russian liquefied gas were exported to the EU, according to the current study cited by ARD.
For the entire year 2021, i.e. before the start of the war against Ukraine, the amount was 15.9 billion cubic meters. Only gas supplies via pipelines from Russia have dropped significantly.
A lot of revenue for the Russian military treasury
According to Greenpeace estimates, the Russian company Yamal alone earned about $40 billion between 2022 and 2024, of which it paid $9.5 billion in taxes to the budget. The environmental organization identifies the company's most important customers in the EU as the French energy concern Total Energies, the German state energy company Sefe, and the Spanish Naturgy.
This means that Total probably contributed $2.5 billion to Russia's corporate tax revenues, while Sefe with $1.45 billion, and Naturgy with $1.25 billion. Greenpeace experts have calculated that with the $9.5 billion contributed by Yamal, Russia could purchase 271,000 Shahed attack drones or 9.5 million 152-millimeter artillery shells. This amount of shells would correspond to three times Russia's annual production of about three million shells.
More money for Russia than for Ukraine
The authors of the study find it particularly problematic that the four most important importers of Russian liquefied gas - France, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands - in the period from 2022 to 2025 they gave more money for the import of Russian liquefied gas than they provided to Ukraine in the form of aid, ARD notes.
They imported Russian liquefied gas worth 34.3 billion euros, while the aid to Ukraine was 21.2 billion, Greenpeace experts also found. The authors point out that “TotalEnergies“ has a 20 percent stake in “Yamal“, and it is believed that the concern also maintains good personal relations with Vladimir Putin, the German public media also writes.
During the energy crisis, “TotalEnergies“ gained a lot from these contacts. Since 2022, the concern has received dividends of $5.06 billion from „Yamal“, estimates say, as well as an additional $1.74 billion from dividends from „Novatek“.
Supply contracts are long-term
European energy companies explain the close relationship with „Yamal“ by the fact that energy needs are high, and a number of commitments stem from the long-term contracts concluded. This also applies to the German company „Sefe“. The former company „Gazprom Germania“ was a subsidiary of the Russian state concern „Gazprom“ and was nationalized after the Russian attack on Ukraine, ARD explains.
„Sefe“ is contractually bound to “Yamal“ until 2038. The German Ministry of Economics points out that there are no sanctions against the import of liquefied gas from Russia – therefore the contracts must be implemented.
Imports from the US also create dependency
“Greenpeace“ experts also criticize the growing dependence on gas imports from the US. The increased import of American gas leads to the fact that Europe is exposed to the political whims of President Donald Trump, who is proving to be an increasingly unreliable partner.
The only way out of the “gas trap“ is for Europe to end its dependence on fossil gas and reorient itself to an energy system based on renewable energies, concludes ARD.
Author: Nick Shader ARD