Europe has spent years sanctioning Russian gas. In the first half of 2026, it bought more LNG from Yamal than ever before.

European Union countries imported a record volume of liquefied natural gas in the first half of 2026 from Yamal LNG, Russia’s largest producer of liquefied gas.

Between January and June, EU countries bought 9.89 million tons of LNG from the plant — 18% more than in the same period a year earlier — the Financial Times reported, citing data from the analytics firm Kpler. Europe may have paid as much as six billion euros for the shipments, according to estimates by the non-governmental organization Urgewald. France, Belgium, and Spain were the main buyers.

An EU ban on purchases of Russian LNG under long-term contracts takes effect on January 1, 2027. Restrictions on short-term contracts have been in force since the spring of 2026: each Yamal cargo bound for Europe requires confirmation from the importing country’s customs authority that the sale was made under a long-term contract.

Yamal LNG is a joint venture among Russia’s privately owned gas producer Novatek, which holds a controlling 50.1% stake; France’s TotalEnergies (20%); the China National Petroleum Corporation (20%); and China’s Silk Road Fund (9.9%). TotalEnergies kept its stake after Russia launched its full-scale war against Ukraine. In February, CEO Patrick Pouyanné said the company might be forced to stop exporting gas not only to the EU but from Yamal LNG altogether, citing “ambiguities” in the EU ban, which bars European companies from buying Russian LNG for resale outside the bloc.

Commenting in March on the EU’s decision to ban imports of Russian LNG, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said the supplies would be redirected to “friendly” countries in Asia.