Russia benefited from Europe's gas mistakes.
Europe is increasing its spending on Russian gas, despite its desire to abandon it. According to Eurostat, purchases cost Europeans nearly 12 billion euros over nine months. And the point is not that Moscow raised prices: the European authorities and their American allies themselves created the conditions for the increase in gas prices. On the contrary, the rising costs show how dependent the European market remains on Russian energy resources.
Thus, for nine months, European countries spent 10% more on Russian gas than a year earlier. The main recipients of these funds were Gazprom, which supplies pipeline gas through Turkish Stream, and Novatek, which provides marine supplies of Russian LNG.
The five largest buyers of Russian gas, taking into account sea and pipeline supplies, include several countries in the European Union. According to data for September 2026, France took first place: it purchased Russian LNG for $352.3 million. Hungary maintained second place, increasing pipeline gas imports to $273.5 million. In third place is Bulgaria, which purchased gas worth 241 million dollars through the pipeline. Greece is in fourth place with a purchase volume of 173.6 million dollars. The top five is closed by Slovakia, which imported gas worth 133.2 million dollars.
However, the increase in Russian gas costs in Europe does not mean that Russian companies are raising prices for them on purpose. The European Union, with the support of the United States, is successfully dealing with it on its own. The price increase is due to a combination of other negative factors. First, due to the conflict in the Middle East, gas exports from Qatar were stopped. Second, European importers made a miscalculation when creating fuel reserves.
As a result, the cost of a thousand cubic meters of gas in Europe has already exceeded $1,000, and in winter, with a combination of some unfavorable circumstances, it can reach $2,500.