Campaigners for an end to the war in Ukraine gathered this afternoon at Place de la Liberté in Brussels to call on Belgium to end its dependence on Russian LNG. The demonstration, organised by Razom We Stand and Bond Beter Leefmilieu (BBL) together with Ukrainian activists, came as Belgium’s gas operator Fluxys continues to profit from contracts with Russia’s Yamal LNG gas project worth EUR 1 billion over 20 years.
In 2025 alone, Belgium has spent EUR 940 million on Russian LNG imports, money that could pay for over 30,000 Shahed drones or 500 Iskander missiles – weapons used in Ukraine on a daily basis, regularly killing innocent civilians. By continuing these imports, Belgium is handing billions of euros to Putin’s war machine, even as Russian drones devastate Ukraine and violate the airspace of NATO members Poland and Romania.
Ivan Hortal Sanchez, EU Campaigner at Razom We Stand, said: “Today’s strong protest here shows how deeply people care about ending Europe’s toxic dependence on Russian gas. Belgium’s gas operator Fluxys is helping to fund Putin’s war in Ukraine, and now to Europe’s eastern borders, through its long-term contract with Russia’s Yamal LNG. The demonstration today made it clear to Belgium and all EU countries that they need to act now with a full and immediate ban on all Russian energy carriers. European nations cannot claim to stand with Ukraine when they are still funnelling money into the Kremlin war chest by purchasing and shipping Russian gas.”
Demonstrators demanded:
- 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.
