Germany continues to buy Russian LNG
Category
Economics
Publication date

Germany continues to buy Russian LNG

Gas carrier

Despite refusing direct supplies of liquefied gas from Russia, Germany continues to purchase Russian LNG through the ports of other EU countries.

Points of attention

  • Germany continues to buy significant volumes of Russian LNG through ports of other EU countries, circumventing the ban on direct supplies.
  • The lack of transparency in the EU gas market has led to disputes between member states over Russian LNG, with accusations on responsibility shifting among countries.
  • Reports indicate that Germany still receives between 3% and 9.2% of its gas from Russia via other EU countries, raising concerns about the 'whitening' of Russian LNG imports.
  • Sefe, the company purchasing Russian LNG for Germany, does not disclose sales figures, creating uncertainty in the import sector and calls for greater transparency in LNG imports.
  • Efforts are being made by France and nine other EU countries to push for the publication of information on suppliers importing LNG from Russia and the volumes arriving at EU ports.

What is known about Germany's purchase of Russian LNG?

It is noted that in 2024, the German company Sefe purchased 58 cargoes of Russian LNG, which were delivered to the French port of Dunkirk, which is 6 times the volume of Russian LNG purchased by Germany in 2023.

Russian liquefied gas continues to be received by ports in Belgium, France, and Spain.

These countries claim to use only a small portion of the Russian gas that arrives at their ports, while most of this gas is transported to other EU countries.

EU countries buy record volumes of Russian LNG
LNG production plant

In November 2024, Germany ordered its state-owned terminals not to accept direct cargoes of Russian LNG.

Germany has banned the import of Russian LNG through its ports. But the imports officially coming from France and Belgium actually consist partly of Russian LNG, effectively “whitening” the gas. The end result: all the countries involved can claim they are not responsible for the demand for Russian LNG, which is still growing, explains Angelos Koutsis, an energy policy fellow at the Belgian think tank Bond Beter Leefmilieu.

What volumes of Russian LNG are supplied to EU countries?

The report, co-authored by German environmental organizations Deutsche Umwelthilfe and Urgewald and Ukrainian NGO Razom We Stand, emphasizes that Germany still receives between 3% and 9.2% of its gas from Russia via other EU countries.

The lack of transparency in the EU's internal gas market has led to accusations between member states, which has provoked inaction on Russian LNG, as no member state feels fully responsible, the material notes.

Gas transported from Belgian ports is usually labeled as “Belgian gas” in official German databases, even though Belgium has no gas production of its own.

Sefe, which was owned by Russia's Gazprom before its nationalization in 2022, said it does not disclose sales figures and therefore could neither confirm nor deny the report's findings.

Sefe has a long-term contract with the Russian Yamal LNG project, led by Russian energy group Novatek, and may have purchased some cargoes from traders.

In October, France and nine other EU countries called for the publication of information on suppliers importing LNG from Russia and the volumes arriving at EU ports.

Category
Culture
Publication date

Prague to screen film "Damaged Childhood" about Russia's abduction of Ukrainian children

The film "Damaged Childhood" will be shown in the Czech Republic
Source:  online.ua

On February 21, the Czech capital, Prague, will host a screening of the documentary “Damaged Childhood,” created by Ukrainian independent media and video production company Online.UA. The film about the abduction of Ukrainian children by Russia will be screened at the Cervantes Institute from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.

Points of attention

  • Through testimonies and personal narratives, the film exposes the war crimes committed by Russia against Ukrainian children, bringing attention to this critical issue.
  • The screening of 'Damaged Childhood' aims to raise awareness and spark conversations about the abduction of Ukrainian children by Russia, emphasizing the need for justice and support for the affected families.

The film "Damaged Childhood" will be shown in the Czech Republic

The documentary tells the stories of Ukrainian children who became victims of abduction by Russian invaders against the backdrop of a full-scale war.

In the film, children and their parents tell their own stories. Ukrainian children were held captive, some of them were forcibly taken to so-called health camps in Russia, others were separated from their parents.

The Online.UA team documented the testimonies of minors about Russia's war crimes against the Ukrainian people.

It is worth noting that the film screening will end with a conversation with a Ukrainian psychologist, group facilitator, National Technical Coordinator for Children and Armed Conflict/Head of the Secretariat of the Inter-Agency Group on Children and Armed Conflict, Olena Skrypko, and two children who were abducted by Russia and returned to Ukraine.

In particular, Kira will share her story. On March 17, 2022, her father died in an explosion. Then Kira and the other residents of her house hid in the basement for some time.

On March 25, they decided to leave Mariupol on foot, but on their way out of the city they came across a mine. Kira and another child were injured. Ukrainian military personnel provided them with first aid.

Later, the girls were taken by transport to the village of Mangush, where Russian soldiers were stationed. Then the Russian troops deported the girls to Donetsk. Kira's grandfather, Oleksandr, was also in Mariupol with his wife, but he managed to escape and move to Chernivtsi. All the time, he was looking for his granddaughter.

On April 15, he received a call from Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk and was informed that he could come to the occupied territory to follow her through Russia. The Office of the President, the Red Cross, and representatives of the Vatican joined in this.

Viewers will also be able to learn Vlad's story. During his eight-month imprisonment in camps in the occupied territories of Kherson region and Crimea, he became a victim of psychological and physical violence.

What is important to understand is that Ukrainian authorities have identified 19,546 cases of abduction of Ukrainian children by Russia.

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