The critical cog in Putin’s machine and how British firms help to keep Russian gas flowing into Europe
This is the story of how an obscure company based in an office block on a quiet street in Glasgow became an accessory in Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine. It is the story of how Europe and Russia remain locked in a tense relationship of economic dependence, even as they supposedly cut their ties. It is the story of the uncomfortable truth behind why the cost of living crisis came to an end.
But before all of that, it is the story of a ship – a very unusual ship indeed.
If you ever spot the Yakov Gakkel as it sails through the English Channel or the Irish Sea (I first set eyes on it in the Channel but at the time of writing it was sailing northwards, about 20 miles off the coast of Anglesey) you might not find it all that remarkable.
At first glance it looks like many of the other large, nondescript tankers and cargo vessels passing these shores. Its profile is dominated by an enormous blue prow which reaches high out of the water and ends, 50 metres further back, at its unexpectedly angular stern.
Yet the ship’s slightly odd shape – all hull and barely any deck – is the first clue about what makes the Yakov Gakkel so special. Because this is one of the world’s most advanced liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers, with an unusual trick up its sleeve.
The Yakov Gakkel tanker
LNG tankers are extraordinary ships, with insides so cleverly engineered they are capable of holding vast amounts of natural gas at temperatures of approximately −163C.
For all that the world is embracing renewable energy, natural gas remains one of the most important energy sources, essential for much of Europe’s heating and power, not to mention its industries. For the time being, there is no cheap way of making many industrial products, from glass and paper to critical chemicals and fertilisers, without gas.
Once upon a time, moving natural gas from one part of the world to another necessitated sending it down long, expensive, vulnerable pipelines, meaning only countries with a physical connection to gas producers could receive this vital fuel. But LNG tankers like the Yakov Gakkel are part of the answer to this problem, since they allow gas producers to send it by sea to anywhere with a terminal capable of turning their supercooled methane back into the gas we use to heat our homes and power our grids.
Politicians in Europe promised to end the continent’s reliance on Russian gas
But the Yakov Gakkel can also do something most other LNG tankers cannot, for that enormous blue double hull allows it to carve through ice, enabling it to travel up into the Arctic Circle and back even in the depths of winter.
And that is precisely what this ship does, more or less constantly: travelling back and forth between Siberia and Europe, through winter and summer, bringing copious volumes of gas from Russia to Europe. It is part of the explanation for how Europe never ran out of gas, even after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
This is not, it’s worth saying, the conventional wisdom. Back when Russia invaded Ukraine, European policymakers declared they planned to eliminate the continent’s reliance on Russian gas – which accounted for roughly a third of their supplies before 2022.
And many assumed that had already happened – especially after the Nord Stream pipeline, the single biggest source of European gas imports, was sabotaged in late 2022. But while volumes of Russian pipeline gas into Europe have dropped dramatically, the amount of Russian LNG coming into Europe has risen to record levels.
LNG tankers sail between Siberia and various ports in Europe, including Zeebrugge
Russia helps Europe replenish gas stores
Today, Europe still depends on Russia for around 15% of its gas, an ever-growing proportion of which now comes in via the sealanes, on tankers like the Yakov Gakkel. And while the US has stepped in to make up some of the volumes lost when those pipelines stopped, only last month Russia overtook the US to become the second biggest provider of gas to the continent. It’s further evidence that those LNG volumes carried on ships through the North Sea, the Irish Sea and the English Channel, are increasing, rather than falling.
This Russian gas has helped Europe replenish its gas stores, it has helped keep the continent’s heavy industry going throughout the Ukraine war. And this dependence has not come cheap: the total amount Europe has paid Russia for LNG since 2022 comes to around €10bn.
The continued presence of Russian gas running through European grids is at least part of the explanation for why European energy prices have fallen so sharply since those post-invasion highs. Back then, many in the market were pricing in a complete end of Russian gas supply to Europe – something that would have had disastrous consequences. But it never actually happened.
Perhaps this explains why the continent’s politicians have, so far, stopped short of banning imports of Russian gas: they are aware that their economy would struggle to withstand another sharp spike in inflation – which would almost certainly eventuate if it stopped taking Russian gas altogether.
Russian gas has helped keep Europe’s heavy industry going throughout the Ukraine war
This week, European leaders agreed to stop allowing Russia to use its ports to “trans-ship” its LNG – essentially acting as a stop-off point towards other destinations. However, those transshipments account for only a fraction – at most a quarter – of the Russian gas coming in on tankers to Europe. The vast majority ends up in Belgium, France and Spain, heating European homes, fuelling power stations and powering machinery in factories.
While European leaders have imposed wide-ranging sanctions and price caps on shipments of oil, no such controls exist for liquefied natural gas. So the Yakov Gakkel and a fleet of LNG tankers carry on sailing between Siberia and various ports in Europe – Zeebrugge, Dunkirk, Montoir and Bilbao – keeping the continent supplied with the Russian hydrocarbons it still cannot live without.
British firm’s role in lucrative trade
But there is another reason why this ship is particularly unique, for the Yakov Gakkel – this critical cog in the financial machine that helps finance the Russian regime – is actually part-owned and operated by a British company.
That brings us back to a street overlooking the Clyde in Glasgow, where, in a glass-fronted office block, you will find the operational headquarters of a company called Seapeak. The chances are you haven’t heard of Seapeak before, but this business owns and operates a fleet of LNG tankers all across the world.
That fleet includes the Yakov Gakkel and four other LNG icebreakers that ply this Siberian trade. That a British company might be facilitating this lucrative trade for Russia might come as a surprise, but there is nothing illegal about this: the sanctions regime on Russia just turns out to be significantly more porous than you might have thought.
We tried repeatedly to speak to Seapeak – to ask them about the Yakov Gakkel and whether they felt it was appropriate – given the UK has forsworn LNG imports – that a British company and British workers are helping administer this Russian trade. We sent emails with questions. However, they did not respond to our calls or our emails.
A security guard at Seapeak’s offices in Glasgow said no one was available to speak to Sky News
When, after weeks of efforts to get a response, I visited their offices in Glasgow, I was met by a security guard who told me Seapeak would not see me without an appointment (which they were refusing to give me). Eventually I was told that if I would not leave they would call the police.
The Vladimir Rusanov off the coast of Zeebrugge
Seapeak is not the only British company helping keep Russian gas flowing. While British insurers are banned from protecting oil tankers carrying Russian crude, there’s no equivalent sanction on Russian LNG ships, with the upshot that many of these tankers are insured by British companies operating out of the Square Mile.
We spent some time tracking another icebreaking tanker, the Vladimir Rusanov, as it approached Zeebrugge. It is insured by the UK P&I Club, which also insures a number of other LNG carriers.
Sky’s Ed Conway gets up close to the Vladimir Rusanov tanker off the coast of Zeebrugge
In a statement, it said: “The UK Club takes great care to observe all applicable sanctions regulations in relation to Russian energy cargoes, but the direct carriage of LNG from Yamal to Zeebrugge, and provision of insurance services for such carriage, is not presently sanctioned. If the EU and G7 nations were to change their policy… the Club would of course comply by adjusting or withdrawing its services, as necessary.”
The transport of Russian gas into Europe – its dependence on British operators and insurers – is only one small example of the loopholes and omissions in the UK sanctions regime. But while government ministers have expressed concern about the effectiveness of the broader sanctions regime, there is still scant evidence they intend to tighten up this corner of it.
Before the election was called the Treasury Select Committee was in the middle of collecting evidence for its own inquiry into the regime, which was expected to focus on insurers of vessels taking Russian goods. However, the inquiry was wound up prematurely when the election was called in May.
Read more on Sky News:
EU sanctions target Russian gas for first time
Russian oil still seeping into the UK
In the meantime, ships like the Yakov Gakkel carry on taking billions of cubic metres of gas from the gas fields of Yamal in Siberia down to Europe, in exchange for billions of euros. And those and other hydrocarbon revenues are one of the main explanations for how Russia is able to produce more missiles and weapons than the Ukrainians.
So Europe carries on fuelling its industry and its power and heating grids with molecules of gas coming from Siberian gasfields, while assuring itself it’s doing everything it can to fight Vladimir Putin.
It is, in short, a discomforting situation. But given the alternative is to induce another cost of living crisis, there is little appetite in Europe to change things.
Donald Trump has claimed a deal to end Russia’s war on Ukraine is “very close” as he heaped pressure on Volodymyr Zelenskyy to “get it done”.
Hours after US secretary of state Marco Rubio withdrew from high-level talks in London on ending the conflict, the American president appeared to vent frustration about Mr Zelenskyy on his Truth Social platform.
“We are very close to a deal, but the man with ‘no cards to play’ should now, finally, GET IT DONE,” Mr Trump said.
“I look forward to being able to help Ukraine, and Russia, get out of this complete and total MESS, that would have never started if I were president!”
Ukraine war latest: ‘We are very close to deal’, Trump claims
Mr Trump also criticised Mr Zelenskyy for telling the Wall Street Journal that Ukraine would not accept giving up Crimea as part of a peace deal with Russia.
And he accused the Ukrainian president of harming peace negotiations with “inflammatory statements”.
Reports say that the US president’s seven-point peace plan to end the war includes a proposal that America would formally recognise Russian sovereignty over Crimea – which was annexed in 2014 and which Ukraine maintains is its territory.
“It’s inflammatory statements like Zelenskyy’s that makes it so difficult to settle this war,” Mr Trump added. “He has nothing to boast about!
“The situation for Ukraine is dire – He can have peace or, he can fight for another three years before losing the whole country.”
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Speaking later at the White House on Wednesday, Mr Trump said: “I think we have a deal with Russia. We have to get a deal with Zelenskyy.
“I thought Zelenskyy would be easier to deal with, but so far it’s harder. I think we have a deal with both.”
Asked if he was planning to meet Mr Putin soon in Saudi Arabia, he said “probably not, but I hope to meet with him soon thereafter”.
The peace plan, reported by US media over the weekend, would freeze the frontlines in Ukraine as part of the agreement.
London talks on ending war downgraded
It comes after Mr Rubio withdrew from a planned meeting in London on Wednesday, which the UK’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Defence Secretary John Healey did attend.
Donald Trump has said Volodymyr Zelenskyy must ‘get it done’ and agree a peace deal. Pics: AP
The downgraded talks were also attended by Keith Kellogg, the US envoy for Ukraine, along with other officials from France, Germany and Ukraine.
Mr Rubio said last week that the US may “walk away” from negotiations due to a lack of progress with Russia and Ukraine – a warning now repeated by vice president JD Vance.
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JD Vance on Ukraine peace deal
The UK Foreign Office said in a statement that there had been significant progress at the talks on Wednesday, and added: “All parties reiterated their strong support for President Trump’s commitment to stopping the killing and achieving a just and lasting peace.”
Read more:
One notable absence in Trump’s post on Zelenskyy – analysis
‘Trump will walk away from peace talks in two weeks’ | Michael Clarke Q&A
‘Emotions have run high’ – Zelenskyy
On Wednesday evening, the Ukrainian president said “emotions have run high today” but stressed all sides “expressed their views and respectfully received each other’s positions” during the London talks.
Mr Zelenskyy said on social media: “The American side shared its vision. Ukraine and other Europeans presented their inputs.
“And we hope that it is exactly such joint work that will lead to lasting peace.”
He also said, however, that “Ukraine will always act in accordance with its constitution,”.
And he posted a screenshot of the Crimea Declaration – which says the US refuses to recognise Russia’s claim to Crimea – made by former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo in 2018, during Mr Trump’s first term as president.
It also comes after Ukrainian officials said nine people were killed and almost 50 injured in the city of Marhanets after a Russian drone hit a bus carrying workers on Wednesday morning.
Russia also launched “a massive” drone attack on the central Ukrainian region of Poltava, injuring at least six people, the emergency service said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.
How to describe the moment when you see the open coffin of Pope Francis?
How to sum up an experience that was shared with many, but which felt so intimate? Fortunate, memorable, touching, and emotional. Above all, unique.
Well, let’s start at the beginning.
People queuing to see the open coffin of Pope Francis use their phones to take pictures. Pic: AP
We, along with other members of the global media, were invited into the basilica by the Vatican in order to see the lines of people filing past the coffin; to bear witness to the emotions, the sounds. To this demonstration of faith.
As we start to walk over, we know we are the lucky ones.
The queue to get into the basilica stretches into the distance – there are people waiting eight hours for the chance to see the coffin.
By contrast, we are ushered in through a side door. We round a corner, walking against a tide of people, until we enter the huge, soaring chamber in which the Pope’s coffin lies in state.
A beam of sunshine is lighting up an imposing statue, created by the genius of Bernini and now looking down upon the Pope.
I can see Francis’s hands crossed on his chest. His coffin is large, resting on the floor, but it is not ostentatious. You can see the red cloth of his vestments.
Pic: Reuters
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3D map shows pope’s funeral route
It is one thing to be told that the Pope has died, but quite another to witness the proof. Perhaps that is why so many are queuing for this moment – to bring closure, as much as to offer thanks.
Setting glistens with gold
The setting is extraordinary.
St Peter’s Basilica is a simply astonishing building that glistens with gold and whose domed ceiling rises to the sky.
Francis wanted to eschew the extravagance of previous papal funerals, but there is no avoiding the splendour of his surroundings.
By his coffin, soaring up, is the huge canopy known as St Peter’s Baldachin, which covers the altar.
Beneath it, so Christians believe, is the tomb of St Peter. This is one of the holiest places in Christianity, and the Pope lies alongside it.
Around his coffin are four soldiers from the Swiss Guard, dressed in their familiar red, blue, and yellow uniforms.
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The ‘Papal Interregnum’ explained
The hand of the deceased Pope Francis. Pic: AP
No sense of rush
A rope runs around the coffin, marking off the area. There are a few seats on one side for notable dignitaries to use when paying their respects. On the other side is a space for senior members of the Catholic church to pray and give thanks.
As we watch, there are two cardinals using this space, including the Italian Matteo Zuppi, a contender to be the next pope. I can see his mouth moving in prayer, his head bowed.
The chamber is thronged with people, but there is no sense of rush.
The queue of people runs round the edge of half the room, but it is orderly, shuffling ever forward. And there is such a blend of people – nuns and priests, but also families dressed for a day in the sun, teenagers in football shirts, grandparents in their finery. Some come in black, others in suits, some in scruffy old T-shirts.
I see three nuns come past, followed by a young woman in jeans and a T-shirt. The nuns are smiling; the woman is sobbing. We learn it’s impossible to predict who will be affected most.
Nuns from Spain and South America wait to see the body of Pope Francis. Pic: AP
You do not get to linger long at the front – maybe a few seconds – but it is an opportunity that divides.
Phones are a constant sight
Some make a cross; some offer a prayer; some take a selfie. Mobile phones are a constant sight. At any given moment, I can see dozens of them held in the air, capturing photos of the scene.
It’s hard to say whether these phones damage the mood, bruising the sombre sense of intimacy, or whether they add to the idea that this is as much about celebrating life as it is about bemoaning death. Maybe both can be true.
It is an emotional experience, whether you have faith or not. What is remarkable here is not the sight of Pope Francis’s coffin, not the hands arranged on his chest, nor the ceremony around St Peter’s.
Read more:
Inside Vatican City at moment of high tension
Who will be at the Pope’s funeral – and who won’t be
What is extraordinary – and what will live with me – is that so many people are prepared to queue for hour after hour in the beating sun to quietly offer thanks to a man that hardly any of them had ever met, but many felt they knew.
Like the Queen before, what really matters is not the scene that people will see, but rather the fact that they are so desperate to come.
World
Israeli troops shot at Gaza aid workers from ‘point-blank range’, leaked documents reportedly show
New details from the Israeli military’s investigation into the killings of 15 aid workers in Gaza on 23 March directly contradict the IDF’s official narrative.
Among the findings reported by Israeli newspaper Haaretz is the revelation that materials gathered by the IDF show soldiers fired at the aid workers from “point-blank” range during the attack.
The IDF has said there was “no shooting from close distance” during the attack, but Sky News previously revealed that some shots were fired from as close as 12 metres away from one of the medics.
The revelations by Haaretz – contained in IDF documents leaked to the publication – come just days after Sky News released its investigation into the killings, which found major gaps and inconsistencies in the IDF’s version of events.
On Sunday, two days after Sky News’ investigation was published, the IDF put out a summary of the findings from its official investigation into the 23 March killing of 15 aid workers.
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How two hours of terror unfolded
The new statement backtracked on several key claims which Sky News had proven false, including that the vehicles lacked necessary travel permissions and that they were crushed accidentally while being removed from the road.
The report by Haaretz now calls into question central aspects of the IDF’s latest official version of events.
The new revelations contradict the IDF’s account
Among the new findings by Haaretz is that the medical rescue convoy was judged to be Hamas based on an interview with one Palestinian medic that was conducted by a soldier who did not speak Arabic.
The IDF has said that it was on the basis of this interview, in which the survivor reportedly falsely confessed to being a Hamas member, that the soldiers were on high alert when a rescue convoy subsequently arrived at the scene.
The Israeli military told Sky News on 22 April that the interview was conducted by an “Arabic-speaking person from the team”.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Haaretz also reports that the rescue convoy was driving “slowly” as it approached the scene, contradicting previous IDF claims that the convoy approached “rapidly”.
This backs up Sky News’ analysis of a video shot from one of the convoy’s ambulances, which shows it was moving at around 25 miles per hour in the moments before it arrived.
IDF investigators ‘not convinced’ by soldier’s testimony
The new documents allegedly show that the IDF investigators were “not convinced” by the deputy commander’s claims that he misidentified the rescue convoy as Hamas.
“A scenario in which Hamas operatives travel in marked rescue vehicles to a location where they know IDF troops are present is one that the army had not encountered during the fighting in Gaza,” Haaretz reports.
“As such, neither the investigation team nor the brigade command accepted the deputy battalion commander’s version.”
The IDF previously told Sky News that the commander said he was unable to see the lights on the fire truck because of his night-vision goggles, and said that investigators found this claim to be “arguable”.
The documents viewed by Haaretz also reportedly show that the IDF found the troops, when charging towards the convoy, moved in an undisciplined fashion.
This contradicts previous statements by the IDF that the troops moved in a standard military formation for addressing hostile threats.
Haaretz also reports that the soldiers “kept shooting even after it was clear that no return fire was coming from the other side – and despite the cries of the aid workers who tried to identify themselves”.
Burying the vehicles
Among the other revelations in the Haaretz report is that soldiers were ordered to crush the medics’ vehicles by their brigade commander.
The IDF had previously claimed that the vehicles were crushed by accident while being removed from the road, a claim that Sky News previously proved to be false.
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Sky investigates full timeline of IDF’s attack on Gaza aid workers
In its statement on Sunday, the IDF admitted that there was a “decision” to crush the vehicles, but did not explain the reasons behind this decision.
“Why did they have to squish them, we don’t know,” a spokesperson told Sky News.
Haaretz reports that the vehicles were crushed to prevent attention being drawn to the IDF’s presence in the area, in anticipation of a planned ambush.
When contacted for comment, the IDF did not address any of the information contained in the new Haaretz report or Sky News’ specific questions.
The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open source information. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.
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