Despite the European Union’s commitment under REPowerEU to eliminate dependence on Russian fossil fuels following the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, significant political and economic resistance persists. While EU pipeline gas imports from Russia have dropped dramatically, LNG imports increased by 7% year-over-year in early 2025, generating over €3 billion from April to September 2025 alone. This continued trade undermines the EU’s energy security objectives, climate commitments under the European Green Deal, and efforts to isolate Russia economically. The persistence of Russian energy flows reveals systematic influence networks involving corporate interests, political actors, and financial dependencies that obstruct the transition away from Russian fossil fuels. 

New Razom We Stand research “Uncovering Drivers of Political Resistance to the Phase-Out of Russian Fossil Fuels in Europe: Mapping Narratives, Dependencies, Financial Influence”, identifies and maps the channels through which Russian energy interests maintain influence over European energy policy, examining corporate networks, financial flows, lobbying infrastructure, and narrative manipulation. 

The research documents extensive Russian influence infrastructure across Europe. Several major EU political parties received Russian energy sector financing, including Austria’s FPÖ (cooperation agreement with United Russia, 2016), France’s National Rally (€9.4 million loan, 2014), and Germany’s AfD (financial connections promoting Russian gas dependency). European companies — TotalEnergies, SEFE, Naturgy, and Fluxys — collectively contributed approximately $5.2 billion to Russian tax revenues through Yamal LNG contracts between 2022 and 2024. 

Learn more in our new research.