EU Still Importing Record Volumes of Russian Gas Amid Abandonment Plans

The European Union is continuing to import significant volumes of Russian gas despite its plans to abandon it completely. In fact, imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) reached a record high in the first quarter of this year.

The main buyers of Russian LNG were France, Spain, and Belgium, with 136 tankers arriving in Europe from the Yamal LNG plant in the first half of 2026. This accounted for about 97% of all shipments from the plant.

The EU has set a target to terminate imports of Russian LNG under long-term contracts by January 1, 2027, and completely phase out Russian gas by the end of 2027. However, Ukraine could potentially play a key role in severing Russia's gas exports by targeting special ice-class tankers or Russian LNG terminals.

Russia's Yamal LNG fleet consists of only 15 such vessels, making them vulnerable to strikes. Additionally, two Russian LNG terminals on the Baltic Sea are within reach of Ukrainian drones, which have demonstrated the ability to strike targets over 2,000 km away.