As the West helps Russia to finance its war on Ukraine

Russia continues to make billions from the exports of fossil fuel to the West, showing data, helping to finance it a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in the fourth year.

Since the beginning of this invasion, in February 2022, Russia has earned more than three times more money, exporting hydrocarbons than Ukraine received to help its allies.

The data analyzed by the BBC show that the Western allies of Ukraine paid Russia more than their hydrocarbons than they gave Ukraine to help.

Share shareholders say the government of Europe and North America should be done more to stop Russian oil and gas from inciting war with Ukraine.

Revenues made from the sale of oil and gas are key to maintaining the Russian military machine.

Oil and gas make up almost a third of Russia’s state income and more than 60% of its exports.

After the invasion in February 2022, the allies of Ukraine imposed sanctions on Russian hydrocarbons. The US and the UK banned Russian oil and gas, and the EU banned Russian maritime raw materials, but not gas.

Despite this, by May 29, Russia has received more than 883 billion euros ($ 973 billion; 740 billion pounds) in revenue from fossil fuel exports from the beginning of full -scale invasion, including 228 billion euros from sanctions, from sanctions, from countries that sanctioned, including 228 billion. from the countries that sanctions, 228 billion euros, including 228 billion euros from the sanctions that are sanctioned According to the Energy and Clea Studies Center (Crea).

The lion’s share of this amount is 209 billion euros from EU member states.

EU states continued to import gas gas directly from Russia until Ukraine reduced transit in January 2025, and Russian crude oil will still be sent to Hungary and Slovakia.

Russian gas is still moving to Europe to increase the number through Turkey: the Crea data shows that its volume increased by 26.77% in January and February 2025 in the same period of 2024.

Hungary and Slovakia also still receive Russian gas through Turkey.

Despite the West’s efforts, in 2024, Russian income from fossil fuels decreased by 5% compared to 2023, as well as a similar drop in 6% of exports, According to Crai. Last year, Russian Russian revenues were also increased by 6% of crude oil exports and increasing gas revenue by 9% compared to last year.

Russian estimates point out that gas exports to Europe grew up to 20% In 2024, exports of liquefied natural gas (MPG) reaches the level of records. Currently, half the exports of the Russian SPG go to the EU, says Crea.

EU foreign policy chief Kaj Kalas says the alliance did not impose “the strongest sanctions” on Russian oil and gas, because some countries -member are afraid of escalation in the conflict and because their purchase is “cheaper in the short term”.

Imports of the SPG were not included in the last, 17th package of sanctions on Russia, approved by the EU, but He took the roadmap Prior to the termination of all the import of Russian gas by the end of 2027.

The data shows that Russia’s money earned by Russia from the sale of fossil fuels invariably exceeded the amount of assistance to Ukraine, which receives from its allies.

Prague fuel can prevent the efforts of the West to limit Russia’s ability to finance its war.

Ma Rosner, Senior Agitator from Group Group Group Global, says many Western politicians fear that the reduction of imports of Russian fuel will increase energy prices.

“In many governments, there is no real desire to actually limit Russia’s capabilities to produce and sell oil. There is too much fear of what it will mean for global energy markets. There is a line that will attract when energy markets are too blown or too thrown out of a kilogram,” she said.

In addition to direct sales, some of the oil exported by Russia found themselves in the West after recycling in third countries because of what is known as the “tips for processing”. Sometimes it is divorced with other countries.

Crea claims that in Turkey he has identified three “launders” and three in India, processing the Russian rude and selling fuel for sanctioned countries. It states that they used 6.1 billion euros to produce products for sanction countries.

Ministry of Oil in India criticized the Crea report As “deceptive effort to ruin the image of India.”

“(These countries) know that the sanctional countries are ready to accept it. It’s a gap. It’s quite legal. Everyone knows about it, but no one does much to actually decide it in a great sense,” says Vaibkhov Ragunandan, Crea analyst.

Promenators and experts claim that Western governments have tools and means to stop the flow of oil and gas revenue in the Kremlin treasury.

According to former Deputy Minister of Energy of Russia Vladimir Milov, who is now a permanent opponent of Vladimir Putin, sanctions imposed on trade in Russian hydrocarbons must be better fulfilled – in particular, the cost of oil, adopted by the G7 Nations Group, says “don’t work“

However, he is afraid that the US government, launched by President Donald Trump, will hinder the US Treasury or Foreign Affairs Management (OTAC) that are key for sanctions.

Another prospectus continues to pressure Russia “The shadow fleet“Tankers involved in eliminating sanctions.

“This is a complicated surgery. You need to periodically produce parties of new sanctioned vessels, shells, traders, insurers, etc. According to him, this area where Western governments were much more effective, especially with The introduction of new sanctions From the administration of Joe Biden in January 2025.

May says that the ban on export of Russia’s LP to Europe and the closure of the processing breakthroughs in Western jurisdictions would be “important steps in the end of the West from Russian hydrocarbons.”

According to Mr. Ragunandan from Crea, the EU would be relatively easy to abandon Russian imports of the SPG.

“Fifty percent of their BCG exports were directed at the European Union, and only 5% of the total EU gas (MPG) in 2024 was from Russia. Thus, if the EU decides to cut off Russian gas completely, it will harm Russia more than damage to consumers in the European Union,” he said.

Experts surveyed by BBC, rejected The idea of ​​Donald Trump What war with Ukraine will end if OPEC lowers oil prices.

“People in Moscow laugh at this idea because the party that will suffer the most …” is the American shale oil industry, the least cost of the competitive oil industry in the world, “Mr. Milov said in the BBC.

Mr Raghunandan says the cost of Russia’s production is also lower than in OPEC countries, such as Saudi Arabia, so they will suffer from decreased oil prices in front of Russia.

“It is not possible for Saudi Arabia to agree to it. It was tried earlier. It led to a conflict between Saudi Arabia and the United States,” he says.

Ms Rosner says there are both moral and practical problems with the purchase of Russian hydrocarbons, supporting Ukraine.

“We now have a situation in which we finance the aggressor in the war we condemn, as well as finance the resistance of the war,” she says. “This dependence on fossil fuels means that we are really on the whims of energy markets, world energy producers and hostile dictators.”