Europe Spends Record €7.3 Billion on Russian LNG Ahead of Ban

European countries have spent a record €7.3 billion on Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) in less than a year, exceeding the total for all of 2025.

A report by Urgewald, a German non-governmental organization, found that from January to August 2026, European ports received 156 shipments of LNG from Russia's 'Yamal LNG' project, totaling 11.39 million metric tons.

This is an increase of 10.1% compared to the same period last year, when 142 shipments totaling 10.34 million metric tons were delivered.

Analysts note that European buyers are stockpiling Russian LNG ahead of the ban on imports set to take effect in January 2027.