TODAY, Monday, 22 September (12:30–13:30, Place de la Liberté, 1000 Brussels), Ukrainian campaign group Razom We Stand and Belgian organisation Bond Beter Leefmilieu (BBL), together with Ukrainian activists, will hold a demonstration calling on Belgium to ban Russian LNG.
Fluxys, the Belgian gas operator, is still benefiting from importing Russian LNG gas even after the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Fluxys’ contract signed with Russia’s Yamal LNG in 2015 is worth EUR 1 billion over 20 years. This means Belgium is providing billions in revenues to Putin’s war machine at a time when Russian drones are devastating Ukraine and violating the airspace of Poland and Romania, two NATO member states.
Ivan Hortal Sanchez, EU Campaigner at Razom We Stand, said:
“This is an urgent matter of war and peace. Every euro that flows through Russian LNG contracts funds the Kremlin’s missiles and drones that kill innocent civilians in Ukraine and threaten Europe’s security, as we have seen recently in Poland. By profiting from its dependence on Russian LNG, Belgium makes itself a weak link in Europe’s defence. It is shameful that after more than three years since the full-scale invasion began, Belgium’s dependence on Russian gas is actually higher than before it started. Belgium and all EU countries must wake up and see that this war is on Europe’s doorstep; the only way to stop Putin is to impose a full and immediate ban on all Russian energy carriers to put a real dent in his war chest”.
Event Details:
Place de la Liberté, 1000 Brussels, Belgium – Google map link
Monday, 22 September
12:30–13:30
The demonstration will demand:
- No loopholes that weaken the EU’s ambition to phase out Russian gas.
- A full and immediate ban on all Russian energy carriers, including gas and oil.
- An immediate end to providing services for Russian LNG and other fossil fuels.
- A consistent EU policy that prioritises peace and security over short-term profit.
Despite being three years into the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Belgium has not stepped away from importing Russian gas. In fact, a record amount of Russian LNG entered the country’s market in the last year. Belgium’s port of Zeebrugge remains a main hub for importing Russian LNG and exporting it to other EU countries. Of all the gas consumed by households and businesses in Belgium last year, 8.7% came by ship from Russia. Shockingly, this means that dependence on Russian gas now is actually slightly higher than before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Angelos Koutsis, Energy Policy Officer at Belgium campaign group Bond Beter Leefmilieu, said:
“Our minister of Energy, Mathieu Bihet, is shamefully choosing to defend the financial interests of Fluxys – the Belgian gas grid operator – over the lives of innocents. While Russian aggression is getting deadlier, bigger and is even diverging into Polish territory, he turns a blind eye to the billions of euros buffering the Kremlin war chest through the pivotal role of Belgium. We need a complete ban on Russian gas purchases and services for Russian LNG, not excuses and backtracking.
ENDS
Razom We Stand is a Ukraine-based campaign group active internationally. It calls for a total and permanent embargo on Russian fossil fuels and an immediate end to all investment in Russian oil and gas companies by phasing out fossil fuels globally.
Svitlana Romanko has appeared in the top-tier international press, including Financial Times, Bloomberg, Politico, The Guardian, Der Spiegel, Le Monde, Washington Post, CNN, NBC, Newsweek, The Hill, Rolling Stone, and more
