Shell still trades in Russian gas despite its promise to leave Russia

The British oil and gas company Shell is still trading in Russian gas – more than a year after it promised to leave the Russian market. According to the analysts of the non-governmental organization Global Witness, in 2022 Shell accounted for approximately one-eighth of the ship export of Russian gas.

Oleg Ustenko, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, accused the British company of receiving “blood money”. Shell itself states that the transactions were the result of “long-term contractual obligations” and that they do not violate laws or sanctions.

Among other things, Global Witness investigators note that no later than May 9, a large tanker capable of transporting more than 160,000 cubic meters of liquefied gas (LNG) left the port of Sabetta on the Yamal Peninsula. This cargo was bought by Shell before being shipped to the final destination — Hong Kong.

According to Global Witness estimates, last year Shell accounted for 12% of Russia’s marine LNG trade, the company was among the five largest sellers of liquefied natural gas from Russia. At the same time, in March 2022, a few weeks after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Shell apologized for the purchase of a batch of Russian oil and announced that it intended to abandon Russian energy sources.

The company’s statement then said that it would stop buying Russian oil, sell its gas stations and other enterprises in Russia, and begin a phased phase-out of Russian oil products, pipeline gas, and LNG. At the same time, the company warned that this would be a “difficult task.”

• After the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the end of February 2022, more than 1,200 organizations stopped their activities in Russia, of which more than 500 left the country completely. According to the estimates of the “Important Histories” publication, this is about 20% of foreign companies that worked in Russia before the war.