Article · Geopolitics · Energy · Money and markets
The EU took a record volume of Russian Arctic gas in nine months, valued at an estimated €7.88 billion
According to the German group Urgewald, which published an estimate on 9 October 2026 based on Kpler shipping data, EU ports received 167 cargoes and 12.18 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia's Yamal project between January and September 2026. That is 9.5 per cent more than a year earlier, worth about €7.88 billion. The figure is an estimate: Urgewald multiplied volumes by the market price and says itself that these are not verified payments. Under the EU regulation, short-term LNG contracts concluded before 17 June 2025 were allowed only until 25 April 2026, yet September deliveries were slightly higher than a year before. The ban on long-term LNG contracts is due to apply from 1 January 2027.
In 2026, EU ports have taken a Russian gas tanker roughly every 1.6 days, and over nine months the cargoes were valued at an estimated €7.88 billion, on average about €29 million a day ([Urgewald, 2026-10-09](https://www.urgewald.org/en/media/eu-imports-record-1218-million-tonnes-russian-arctic-lng-first-nine-months-2026)).
The daily figure is our own calculation: €7.88 billion divided by the 273 days from January to September. The "roughly every 1.6 days" frequency is Urgewald's own; it matches 273 days divided by 167 cargoes. Unless stated otherwise, every other number here comes from the Urgewald release.