The History of Europe's Energy Dependence on Russia
July 29, 2026 · Frisian News
By 2021, Europe imported about 40 percent of its natural gas from Russia. That dependency grew across three decades as pipelines multiplied and contracts locked in, enriching energy companies while funding Putin's state budget.
Europe imported about 40 percent of its natural gas from Russia by 2021. That dependency grew across 30 years as pipelines multiplied and contracts locked in. Germany led the way. It signed major gas deals with Moscow, then watched its former chancellor Gerhard Schröder take a board seat at Gazprom after leaving office. French, Italian, and Benelux politicians did the same.
The economics looked simple at first. Cheap Russian gas meant cheaper electricity and lower manufacturing costs. Voters liked low bills. Companies liked high margins. Brussels called it "economic integration" and "interdependence." But it was one-way: Europe became dependent on Russia, not the reverse.
Energy companies made billions. Western banks financed the pipelines. But ordinary Europeans paid the hidden cost. They funded Putin's state budget directly. Gas revenue became Russia's main export income and its main weapon for political coercion. By 2021, as tensions rose over Ukraine, Europe had already locked itself in.
The geopolitical risk was never hidden. Russia invaded Georgia in 2008. It seized Crimea in 2014. It cut gas to Ukraine in winter, freezing civilians to force political concessions. Yet Europe built more pipelines and signed longer contracts. Politicians in Brussels and Berlin chose comfort over caution.
2022 proved what skeptics said decades earlier. A continent bought cheap gas and ignored its own geopolitics. The bill came due in killed Ukrainians, energy blackmail, and prices that tripled. Europe's leaders chose comfort. Russia chose power. The difference mattered.
Published July 29, 2026 · Frisian News