EU increased LNG and pipeline gas imports from Russia by 18% last year, energy think tank reports

European Union member states imported 18% more Russian gas — from 38 billion cubic metres (bcm) to 45 bcm — last year than they did in 2023, according to a report by the energy think tank Ember that was cited in an article by the German news program Tagesschau. The figure covers all forms of Russian gas imports, including liquefied natural gas (LNG) and gas delivered via pipeline.

According to the report, the rise was mainly driven by increased imports into Italy (+4 bcm), Czechia (+2 bcm), and France (+1.7 bcm).

“It's a scandal that the EU is still importing Russian gas. Instead of investing in real alternatives like renewable energy and efficiency to prevent Russian imports, member states are burning money on expensive LNG capacities that aren't even being used,” commented Paweł Czyżak, an expert at Ember and the lead author of the report.

“The uptick was largely driven by growing imports of Russian LNG. This trend continues in 2025, with the EU averaging 74.3 million cubic meters per day (mcm/day) of Russian LNG imports in February, a 11% monthly increase. The use of ‘shadow’ vessels and the practice of ‘whitewashing’ Russian LNG are also becoming increasingly widespread, allowing Russian gas to enter European markets unsanctioned,” the report read.

In a recent interview with Handelsblatt, EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen said he wants to reduce the bloc’s energy dependence on Russia:

“It is completely unsustainable to continue buying fossil fuels from Russia and thereby indirectly filling Putin's war chest. Since the beginning of the war, we have spent as much money on fossil fuels from Russia as it would cost to build 2,400 F-35 fighter jets.”

The European Commission is expected to present a roadmap for the gradual phaseout of fossil fuel imports from Russia soon. Norway and the United States currently remain the EU’s top natural gas suppliers.

According to a report published by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) in February, EU member states paid Russia a total of €21.9 billion for fossil fuels in the third year of the invasion — surpassing the €18.7 billion of financial aid they sent to Ukraine during the same period.