To the Presidents and Prime Ministers of EU Member States, the President of the European Council, the President of the European Commission, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, HM Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, HM Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, and relevant national competent authorities,

We, the undersigned civil society organisations and climate, energy, and security experts, urgently call on the European Union and the United Kingdom to impose coordinated sanctions on all fifteen Arc7 ice-class LNG carriers servicing Russia’s Yamal LNG project. Russia’s Arctic LNG strategy is a cornerstone of its war economy and a direct threat to European security. 

Moreover, further entrenching fossil fuel infrastructure in the fragile Arctic region would render global climate mitigation targets unattainable and could lead to catastrophic tipping points.

Russia’s Arctic LNG business depends on the availability of these ships. Year-round operation of the Yamal and Arctic LNG2 export terminals is not possible without a sufficient number of Arc7 tankers. This applies both to ongoing exports to the EU and to Russia’s efforts to export more LNG to Asia with STS operations near Murmansk and Kamchatka (or via the Northern Sea Route – NSR – during the summer months).

So far, Russia has not succeeded in building Arc7 tankers without Western know-how. The first Arc7 ship to be completed at the Russian Zvezda shipyard, the Alexey Kosygin (IMO: 9904546), has not yet progressed beyond short test runs. It would take Russia many years to build up a sufficient Arc7 fleet if the currently available fleet were to be taken out of service by effective sanctions.

Russia’s Arctic LNG business serves as an important source of revenue for the Kremlin and thus also for financing the war against Ukraine. At the same time, it is also intended to expand Russia’s geostrategic influence. However, the high dependence of Arctic terminals on Arc7 tankers is Russia’s Achilles’ heel in this regard. 

In light of Ukraine’s difficult situation and Russia’s increasing hybrid attacks on the EU, decisive action on Russian LNG exports, where the EU and UK have considerable leverage, would send a strong and important signal to Moscow.

This requires several steps: 

First, the EU must stop its own imports of Russian LNG as soon as possible. The recently agreed exit date of 1 January 2027 is too late and gives Russia valuable time to build the necessary infrastructure for increased exports to Asia, for example, by expanding STS capacities in Murmansk and Kamchatka.

Second, trade in Russian LNG must also be sanctioned to prevent owners of long-term purchase contracts, in particular, from simply selling the gas outside the EU.

Thirdly, the EU must follow the UK’s example and prohibit any services (insurance, maintenance, etc.) for ships transporting Russian LNG as soon as possible.

Fourthly, the EU and UK must ensure that Arc7 tankers do not fall into the wrong hands through sale and subsequently continue to transport LNG from the Arctic as part of Russia’s shadow fleet. Currently, 6 of the 15 ships in operation are owned by Seapeak (UK) and 5 by Dynagas (Greece). If at least these ships can be removed from Russian influence, it will be impossible to continue operating the Arctic LNG business at its current level for years to come.  

It is important to keep in mind that these ships also pose a security risk to the EU that should not be underestimated, as there are credible reports that the Russian secret service FSB has infiltrated agents into the crews.

We therefore urge the EU and UK to:

1. Prohibit transporting Russian gas for shipping companies based in the EU and UK, denying entry into EU/UK ports and territorial waters for ships carrying Russian LNG, including transit and ship-to-ship operations. Require disclosure of cargo origin, destination, and ownership for any LNG cargoes serviced to prevent circumvention, laundering or relabeling of Russian gas outside Europe.
2. Ban the provision of all maritime services — including insurance, classification, flagging, bunkering, crewing, repairs, and technical support — to any vessels transporting Russian LNG.
3. Introduce due diligence controls to prevent transfer of ownership of Arc7 tankers to opaque or high-risk entities seeking to operate in Russia’s LNG shadow fleet.
4. Apply secondary sanctions or penalties to EU/UK-based companies and individuals that continue to facilitate Russian Arctic LNG transport in violation of European and UK security interests.

The ARC7 fleet is not merely a logistical detail — it is a strategic weapon of economic warfare. Sanctioning these vessels would send an unequivocal message that there is no safe harbour for fossil fuel revenues that sustain aggression, war crimes, and environmental destruction. 

We call on European and British leaders to act decisively and without delay.

 Signatories:

1. Razom We Stand
2. B4Ukraine
3. Dekleptocracy Alliance 
4. Urgewald
5. Deutsche Umwelthilfe
6. Bond Beter Leefmilieu
7. Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL)
8. Greenpeace Ukraine
9. Greenpeace EU Unit
10. Greenpeace UK
11. Mothers Rise Up, UK
12. International Network for Sustainable Energy (INFORSE) – Europe, att. Gunnar Boye Olesen
13. Limity jsme my (Czechia)
14. People’s Federation For National Peace And Development (PEFENAP) – Malawi (Southern Africa)
15. African Industrial Solution AFIS (AFIS-Africa)
16. AICED RDCONGO
17. AbibiNsroma Foundation (ANF)
18. Justice Institute Guyana
19. Andy Gheorghiu Consulting
20. Jubilee Australia Research Centre
21. EKOenergy ecolabel
22. NGO “Flora”
23. EcoPravo-Kharkiv
24. Zero Waste Lviv
25. ICO “Environment – People – Law”
26. NGO CELA
27. NGO Grassroots Institute Ukraine
28. LCPO “Ecoterra”
29. NGO Black Sea Women’s Club
30. NGO Ekoltava
31. EHA “Green World”
32. CSO “Ecosmart” (Dnipro, Ukraine)
33. National Ecological Centre of Ukraine (NECU)
34. NGO Centre for Environmental Initiatives “Ecoaction”
35. NGO “Unique Planet”
36. NGO Zero Waste Society
37. Ecopark Osokorky
38. NGO Khmelnytskyi Energy Cluster 
39. NGO Plato
40. NGO Ecoclub