Urgewald lists 134 ships carrying Russian gas – criticism of Trump’s sanctions halt
The NGO names all tankers that have transported Russian liquefied natural gas since 2022. One recently delivered to Dunkirk. The EU is the largest buyer.
Symbolic image · Photo: Gordon Leggett / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
The nongovernmental organization Urgewald has published a list of 134 ships that allegedly have transported Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. According to data seen by the Kyiv Independent, they carried more than 150 million tons. From the signing of the U.S. sanctions law on Sept. 18 to Oct. 15, 42 tankers carrying Russian gas were underway; the Clean Horizon delivered its cargo from Yamal to the French port of Dunkirk.
President Trump on Oct. 16 largely suspended the penalties of the law named after the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, two days before they were due to take effect. Urgewald campaigner Alexander Kirk said Trump had hollowed out the law before the sanctions could bite, calling it a “lifeline” for Putin. “Europe must now act urgently. Sanction the tankers,” Kirk said.
According to the think tank CREA, the EU is the largest buyer of Russian LNG, ahead of China, Japan and South Korea. According to Urgewald, the EU paid about €7.88 billion for gas from the Arctic project in the first nine months of 2026. The EU plans a complete import ban from January 2027.