Russia supplied approximately 22.1 billion cubic meters of natural gas to the European Union in the first half of 2026, maintaining its position as the bloc's third-largest source behind Norway and the United States.
The figures, derived from calculations by TASS based on data from the Bruegel think tank, highlight the persistence of Russian energy flows despite the EU's aggressive decoupling strategy.
The data underscores the structural difficulty of replacing Russian pipeline gas and LNG volumes in the short term.
While the EU has successfully diversified its supply base, with Norway and the US now leading the rankings, Russia's continued presence in the top three indicates that demand in certain member states or via third-country transit remains resilient.
This flow defies the bloc's broader sanctions regime, which aims to isolate Moscow economically.
The persistence of these imports comes as the EU enforces stricter measures, including a prohibition on signing new liquefied natural gas contracts with Russia that took effect in late April.