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Nearly four years after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, at the end of January, European Union member states formally approved a ban on Russian gas imports, including pipeline and liquefied natural gas (LNG). LNG transportation by ship will be outlawed from January 1, 2027, and pipeline deliveries will end by September 30, 2027. This represents a structural breakdown in commercial relations for Russia, which was responsible for over 40% of European gas imports before the outbreak of war. The cumulative data on Russian fossil fuel imports from the start of the conflict to February 2026, studied by analysts at Lavoce.info, helps quantify the economic character of this relationship, as well as how much and to what extent certain countries indirectly helped Russia finance the war itself. The statistic used—the total amount, in millions of euros, of oil, coal, and gas purchased—shows that throughout the time under examination, China was the top buyer (more than 300 billion euros), followed by the European Union with around 219 billion and India with approximately 165 billion. In Europe, the composition was virtually evenly split between gas (around 109 billion) and oil (106 billion), with coal having a significantly smaller contribution. Within the European continent, Italy is situated in an intermediate position (just under €20 billion total), divided almost equally between oil and gas.
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