00:01The European Union spent an estimated 8.7 billion euros on Russian liquefied natural gas
00:08from the Arctic in the first 10 months of 2026. This figure is exceeding its estimated bill for
00:15the whole of 2025 by 21 percent, according to an analysis by environmental campaign group
00:22Edgewalt. According to the report, EU ports received 12.89 million tons of LNG from Russia's
00:29Yamal project between January and October, up 6.3 percent year-on-year and accounting for 81 percent
00:36of the project's recorded deliveries worldwide. Europe remains the main customer of one of Russia's
00:43flagship Arctic gas projects, the Yamal pipeline, despite EU leaders repeatedly touting the end
00:49of reliance on Russian fossil fuels. The impending EU ban on Russian LNG imports from January 2027
00:56could deal a major commercial blow to Moscow. Without access to EU ports, Russia would face longer
01:02voyages, higher transport costs and fewer opportunities to redirect cargoes, particularly
01:08during the winter when navigation becomes more difficult. Questions remain over whether EU countries
01:13will enforce the ban without exemptions or last-minute concessions, particularly as winter
01:19approaches and concerns over energy security persist.
