Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in late February, Europe has been trying to find a way to leverage Vladimir Putin and help end the unprovoked conflict. But the business is neither easy nor clear-cut.
For years, the bloc has been dependent on various import goods from Russia, especially fossil fuels. In 2021, Russia benefited to the tune of 400 billion euros from European purchases of its energy.
Despite the severance of some of its financial, scientific and commercial ties with the country and plans for new sanctions, Europe’s road to a significant strategic advance on Russia is still long. It is paved with conflicting state and private interests, including those involved in the shipping industry.
Investigate Europe, in conjunction with Reporters United, examined how shipping companies continue to transport millions of tonnes of fossil fuels from Russia, despite ongoing war and impending embargoes. European ships have exported more than half of all fossil fuel shipments from Russia since the invasion of Ukraine began. Our new series goes beyond the data to detail the extent of this Europe-Russia maritime trade.
We analyzed various public datasets, including from CREA, MarineTraffic, Equasis and several other sources. We tracked shipments, tracked imports, and studied ship routes to identify shippers trading with Putin’s Russia. Dive into this investigation with our in-depth analysis data crunch and interactive visualizations.
But who exactly is running the companies still shipping fossil fuels from Putin’s Russia? Take a closer look at the media moguls, football club owners, and family dynasties that continued to trade with Russia despite the country’s brutal invasion of Ukraine. And for a local perspective on how deals like this play out on European shores, follow a visual report from Milazzo, a former Italian port city at the center of the global fossil fuel industry.
And while Europe’s trade in Russian fossil fuels is in decline, another energy source has continually avoided sanctions: nuclear. An eighth round of sweeping EU sanctions against the Kremlin was passed on Oct. 6, but nuclear power and the uranium sector were notably absent.
The latest round of sanctions also confirmed EU plans to introduce a price cap on Russian oil exports, its latest measure aimed at cutting the country’s revenue. Some fear the proposal is unworkable, while new analysis from Investigate Europe and Reporters United finds that many European companies will still be able to continue doing business from Russia once the sanctions are enacted.
The sanctions are intended to limit the flow of money to Russia, but their consequences will also be strongly felt much closer to home. In this brief explainer, we take a closer look at the sanctions and the possible impact they will have on Europeans.
Continue below to read posts about the tankers fueling Putin’s war with our media partners in your country.
Comments are closed.