Russia is significantly benefiting from liquefied natural gas (LNG) sales to companies in the European Union, according to a study by the Greenpeace environmental organization released today.

Oil and coal imports from Russia have been banned in the framework of EU sanctions on Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and gas imports through pipelines have declined significantly after the Nord Stream pipelines have been destroyed in September 2022. LNG imports have so far been excluded.

Greenpeace estimates that Yamal LNG, the main exporter of Russia, won a total of $ 40 billion from global exports from 2022 to 2024, estimated to be $ 9.5 billion to the Russian State for taxes.

EU companies are among the largest customers in Russian Yamal LNG, with the leading French Totalenergies. The State Chinese CNPC is in second place, followed by the German Sefe in the third and the Spanish Naturgy in the fourth.

Totalenergies is estimated to have contributed $ 2.5 billion to the Russian government’s tax revenue, the Sefe $ 1.45 billion and Naturgy $ 1.25 billion, according to Greenpeace.

With the total $ 9.5 billion dollars paid by Yamal on its profits from LNG exports, Moscow could buy 271,000 unmanned Shahid aircraft or 2,686 T-90M tanks or 9.5 million artillery tanks 152 mm.

This amount of artillery shells corresponds to almost three years of current annual Russian production, which amounts to 3 million missiles.

The reported number of unmanned aircraft represents a quantity of 271 times higher that Russia develops in one week against Ukraine.

Greenpeace also points out that the main importers of Russian LNG in the EU – France, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands – have spent more to introduce a Russian gas than to support Ukraine.

From 2022 to June 2025, the four countries imported a Russian LNG worth 34.4 billion euros, and offered 21.2 billion euros to support Ukraine, according to the study.

The study also notes that the French group Totalenergies holds a 20% share in Yamal LNG and a 19.4% share in its parent company, Novatek.

In 2022, Totalenergies is estimated to have received dividends of $ 5.06 billion from Yamal LNG and additional dividends of $ 1.74 billion from Novatek, the study writes.

European energy companies justify the continuation of their businesses with Yamal LNG citing demand and long -term contracts.

The German company SEFE has contracts with Yamal LNG by 2038.

This company was previously known as Gazprom Germania and was a subsidiary of the state -run Russian company Gazprom. It was nationalized as a result of the Russian war against Ukraine and the energy crisis that this war caused in Germany.