Russia’s flagship LNG export terminal, Yamal LNG, shipped 1,690,517 metric tons of liquefied natural gas to Europe in January — 8% more than in the same period last year — despite the EU’s stated intention to completely phase out imports of Russian LNG by 2027.
Source: Bukvy
According to data from the trade-tracking company Kpler, published by the German environmental organization Urgewald, 23 of the 25 cargoes shipped from the Yamal LNG plant in January were delivered to European ports, while two shipments went to China.
Consumption of Russian LNG in Europe is increasing despite the fact that at the end of January the EU finally approved a plan to ban imports of Russian LNG starting in 2027. The plan also предусматриває ending imports of pipeline gas from Russia later that same year.
For now, however, the European Union remains a major buyer of Russian LNG. In 2025, EU member states imported it worth €7.2 billion.
The Yamal LNG plant is not under Western sanctions and remains a key channel for supplying Russian liquefied gas to Europe. Of the 19.7 million tons of LNG exported last year, more than 15 million tons (about 76%) were sent to European countries.
France was the largest buyer, purchasing 6.3 million tons — nearly 42% of total deliveries to Europe. Belgium ranked second with around 4.2 million tons.
Earlier, the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air reported that in December the EU once again became the world’s largest buyer of Russian LNG, overtaking Japan and China. In just one month, imports amounted to €700 million, with France, Belgium, and Spain being the largest importers.
At the same time, based on the results of the entire year 2025, imports of Russian LNG to the European Union decreased by 13% compared to 2024.
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