BRUSSELS 

The European Union's imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia have reached record levels in 2025 despite an overall drop in Russian fossil gas supplies, Finnish media reported on Wednesday.

While EU imports of Russian fossil gas have fallen by around 70% since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022, LNG shipments from Russia rose 7% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, said Hufvudstadsbladet, a Swedish-language daily published in Finland.

Since February 2022, EU countries have paid roughly €120 billion ($139 billion) for Russian fossil gas, including pipeline and LNG deliveries.

During this period, Russia has earned nearly €1 trillion from global fossil fuel exports, according to the independent Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).

EU imports of Russian gas last year accounted for about one-quarter of Moscow's projected 2024 war budget.

However, Russian pipeline gas exports have dropped by 90% since the 2022 start of the Ukraine war due to EU import restrictions and infrastructure damage, including the destruction of the Nord Stream pipeline, the newspaper said.

In October, the bloc announced plans to end all energy imports from Russia by 2028.