Europe purchased more liquefied natural gas from Russia’s flagship Yamal LNG facility in the first half of 2026 than ever before, absorbing almost all of the Siberian project’s output ahead of an upcoming European Union ban on Russian gas imports.
EU purchases from Yamal LNG, controlled by Russian private energy company Novatek, reached 9.89 million tonnes between January and June 2026, according to data from analytics firm Kpler. The volume was 18 percent higher than during the same period last year and represented a record level of European imports from the Arctic-based facility.
The figures highlight the continuing role European buyers play in supporting one of Russia’s most important energy projects as Moscow’s war against Ukraine continues into its fifth year. The European purchases may have amounted to as much as €6 billion, according to estimates from Urgewald, a non-governmental organisation focused on energy and environmental issues.
France, Belgium and Spain were the largest European buyers of Yamal LNG during the period. Kpler data showed that France imported 3.6 million tonnes, Belgium purchased 2.9 million tonnes and Spain received 2.7 million tonnes from the project in the first six months of the year.
Sebastian Rötters, a sanctions campaigner at Urgewald, described the figures as “stark” and said they reflected a period in which Russia had intensified attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure and civilian sites.
Current EU rules already restrict purchases of Russian LNG under short-term contracts, requiring each Yamal cargo arriving in Europe to receive confirmation from national customs authorities that it was purchased under a long-term agreement. A broader EU ban on long-term Russian LNG imports is scheduled to begin on January 1, 2027, with restrictions on pipeline gas expected to follow later that year.
European access to Yamal cargoes has been particularly important for the project because of its location in the Russian Arctic and its dependence on a limited fleet of specialised Arc7 ice-class tankers. The facility’s ability to export LNG relies heavily on these vessels completing rapid turnaround operations at European ports.
Shipping Yamal LNG to Asia through the Northern Sea Route is considered more challenging because of longer travel times and greater logistical risks. While European imports increased in the first half of 2026, shipments to Asia dropped 74 percent to slightly more than 510,000 tonnes.
People familiar with the situation said lower Asian shipments were partly linked to concerns among international shipping companies, insurers and financiers about possible exposure to EU sanctions. Yamal’s specialised ice-class tankers also continue to rely heavily on European shipyards for maintenance and repairs, including facilities in France and Denmark.
“Yamal LNG depends on a small, specialised fleet, European ports and European services to keep exports flowing. Europe continues to provide all three,” Rötters said.
Opened by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2017, Yamal LNG remains Russia’s largest liquefied gas production facility, with a designed capacity of 17.4 million tonnes annually, although actual production has frequently exceeded that figure. Novatek is the majority owner, while France’s TotalEnergies and China’s CNPC also hold stakes in the project.
In February, TotalEnergies chief executive Patrick Pouyanné said the company, which holds long-term export contracts at Yamal, could be forced to stop exporting gas not only to the European Union but from the project entirely because of what he described as “ambiguities” in the EU ban.
The record European purchases come as the bloc moves toward ending long-term dependence on Russian gas, creating a transition period in which existing contracts continue to link European markets with one of Russia’s most strategically important LNG facilities.
