The analyst explained the increase in European purchases of Russian gas

The European Union (EU) has increased purchases of Russian pipeline and liquefied natural gas (LNG), despite plans to abandon it for two reasons. This opinion was expressed by Vladimir Demidov, an analyst of the resources and energy market, head of the Future Energy Laboratory at Moscow State Medical University Skolkovo, on Wednesday, February 4.

Earlier it became known that in the first month of 2026, European countries made the most of Russian gas supplies, both liquefied and piped. According to the European Network of Gas Transmission System Operators (ENTSOG), in January, Russia increased fuel exports to Europe via the Turkish Stream pipeline by 11% year-on-year, to 1.73 billion cubic meters.

According to the analyst, in Europe, due to frosts, gas extraction from underground storage facilities (UGS) has significantly increased, which has led to their current occupancy significantly reduced. It currently stands at about 39%, while the average occupancy rate over the past five years has been about 56%.

"At the same time, it is also cold in America, a key supplier of LNG to Europe. Moreover, production in Texas even dropped by 8-10%, and on average, the United States reduced supplies to Europe by almost 28% in January. This is due to the fact that it is cold in the USA, they themselves need gas. It got to the point where they deployed tankers and returned them to the United States to prevent price increases," the expert said in an interview with Lenta.Ru .

He stressed that in this situation it is much more profitable to buy Russian LNG or Russian pipeline gas. In addition, Russian supplies are stable, they always go regardless of the cold weather and other climatic problems, which is why Europe has turned to the East for gas, the expert concluded.

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Earlier in the day, Sarah Wagenknecht, founder of the Sarah Wagenknecht Union for Reason and Justice (SSV) party, called on German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to resume the purchase of Russian gas.

The EU Council approved a ban on gas imports from Russia on January 26, RT reports. LNG supplies are prohibited from January 1, 2027, and gas through pipelines — from September 30, 2027. 360.ru .

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