If there’s a gold medal for hypocrisy in geopolitics, the latest EU sanctions on India’s Nayara refinery may be the performance to beat. Western leaders never miss a chance to moralise about “fighting Putin’s war machine," yet Brussels’ righteous anger rings hollow when you examine what Europe is consuming to meet its own energy needs. While the European Union rails against India for purchasing Russian crude—going so far as to hit Nayara Energy, part-owned by Rosneft, with fresh sanctions—it continues to import staggering volumes of Russian gas that heat its homes and power its industries.

If ever there was a case of “do as I say, not as I do," this is it.

Let’s leave politics aside for a moment and consider simple numbers, which often tell the purest truth. In 2024, according to data compiled by the International Energy Agency, the EU’s Russian gas imports actually increased by 18% compared to the previous year. Despite all the chest-beating, Russian gas exports to Europe went up, not down, with the EU importing roughly 45 billion cubic meters, up from 38 bcm in 2023.

By late 2024, Russia had bounced back to become the EU’s third-largest gas supplier, with a market share of nearly 20%. This was exceeded only by Algeria and the United States. December 2024 saw the highest share of Russian gas flowing into Europe since the invasion began—25% of EU gas imports that month.........

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