Fuelling War
Europe is set to phase out its dependence on Russian oil, gas and coal. But as new sanctions are looming and import volumes sink, a vast network of European ships continues to transport billions of euros worth of fossil fuels and help fill the pockets of the Russian state.
September 2022
Ever since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in late February 2022, Europe has been trying to figure out a way to gain leverage over Vladimir Putin and help end the unprovoked conflict. But the undertaking is neither easy or clear-cut.
For years, the bloc has been dependent on Russia’s diverse import goods, especially fossil fuels. In 2021, Russia benefited to the tune of €400 billion from EU purchases of its energy.
Despite cutting off some of its financial, scientific and trade ties with the country and plans for more sanctions, Europe’s road towards winning a significant strategic advance over Russia is still long. It is paved with conflicting state and private interests — including those involved in the shipping industry.
Investigate Europe, in collaboration with Reporters United, has examined how shipping firms continue to transport millions of tonnes of fossil fuels from Russia, in spite of the ongoing war and looming embargoes. European vessels have exported more than half of all fossil fuel shipments from Russia internationally since the invasion of Ukraine started. Our new series goes behind the data to detail the extent of these Europe-Russia shipping trades.
We analysed various public datasets, including from CREA, MarineTraffic, Equasis and several other sources. We followed shipments, tracked imports and studied vessel routes to identify the shippers trading with Putin’s Russia. Dive into this investigation through our in-depth data crunch and interactive visualisations.
But who exactly runs the companies that still ship fossil fuels from Putin’s Russia? Take a closer look at the media moguls, football club owners and family dynasties who have continued to trade with Russia. And for a local perspective on how deals like this play out on Europe’s shores, follow a visual reportage from Milazzo, an ancient Italian port town at the centre of the global fossil fuel industry.
Explore these stories and more on our website and with our media partners from our year-long investigation exposing European links to the Russian fossil fuel trade.
Explore these stories and more on our website and with our media partners from our year-long investigation exposing European links to the Russian fossil fuel trade.
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