Financial Times: Germany has increased its purchases of Russian LNG sixfold.

Germany has banned the acceptance of tankers carrying Russian LNG, yet it continues to procure it through other EU countries as the German economy faces significant challenges due to the energy crisis.

Source. This is reported by Financial Times.

The German energy company Sefe, which was previously owned by Gazprom and nationalized in 2022, purchased 58 LNG shipments last year via the French port of Dunkirk.

This amount is six times greater than the previous year, according to a report from the Belgian analytical center Bond Beter Leefmilieu, German environmental organizations Deutsche Umwelthilfe and Urgewald, as well as the Ukrainian Razom We Stand. Financial Times references this report.

Despite halting imports of Russian pipeline gas, Germany continues to receive between 3 to 9.2% of gas from Russia through other EU countries, the report states.

For instance, after LNG is delivered to Belgian ports, regasified, and sent through pipelines to other EU countries, it is typically labeled as "Belgian gas" in official German databases, even though Belgium does not produce its own gas.

Belgium is the largest recipient of Russian LNG alongside Spain and France (which was the top recipient last year).

The energy ministries of all three countries have repeatedly stated that they have almost no Russian gas left – it is being sent deeper into the continent.

The German government mandated in November that state LNG terminals do not accept gas from Russia, as it contradicts the country's interests and its goal to completely eliminate dependence on Russia in the energy sector.

"However, the official imports from France and Belgium actually consist partially of Russian LNG, which effectively whitewashes its supply," says Angelos Koutsis, an energy policy expert at Bond Beter Leefmilieu. "As a result, all countries can claim they bear no responsibility for the rising demand for Russian LNG."

The German economy, heavily reliant on industry, has been severely affected by the loss of cheap Russian gas. This has been one of the reasons for the ongoing stagnation that has lasted for five years: currently, GDP is 5% lower than it could have been had pre-pandemic growth rates been maintained.

Supplies of Russian LNG to Europe reached a record 17.2 billion cubic meters in 2024, according to Rystad Energy.

Background. Recall that earlier The Guardian reported that Europe purchased a record volume of Russian liquefied gas in 2024. The main reasons for this are the low price of LNG and the absence of sanctions.