
Why Europe has paid Russia €204 billion since February 2022?
Europe constantly pays Russia for energy resources. It means the EU countries funded 18 out of 34 months of the Russian full-scale war against Ukraine, as of December of 2024.

Source: Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA)
EU funding the Russian war? How’s that possible?
Gas and oil are the primary sources of revenue for Russia’s military budget. Europe pays Russia for liquefied natural gas. Then Russia uses this money to wage war against Ukraine. In turn, Europe gives money to Ukraine to stop Russia. The result is insane – the EU is financing both sides of the war.

Source: The Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER)

Source: Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA)

How to stop this madness?
Impose the War Tax on Russian gas.
Ukraine is proposing a simple and quick solution: a special import duty on Russian energy resources — the war tax. The EU can use amounts collected as import duty to finance Ukrainian needs.
War Tax? How does this help?
The War Tax is, first and foremost, a tool of justice that will allow the EU to achieve three crucial points.
Make Russia pay for its aggression on Ukraine. Instead of shifting the entire financial burden to the taxpayers of European countries, the War Tax will accelerate the reckoning and make Russia accountable for the war it has unleashed. The War Tax will be imposed on Russian companies.
Reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian energy. Despite the decision to switch away from Russian energy sources by 2027, EU countries continue to import LNG from Russia, signing long-term contracts until 2040. The War Tax will make Russian LNG less attractive to European consumers, encouraging them to switch to alternative energy sources.
War Tax will become a source of funding for Ukraine’s reconstruction. The war has caused Ukraine enormous losses. The War Tax can become a stable source of funds to rebuild the country and support Ukrainians affected by the war.
Why should you care?
Because each EU citizen has paid Russia €400 from his/her own pocket, which Russia сould then have spent on missiles and drones that are killing Ukrainians. By purchasing Russian fossil fuels you’re indirectly sponsoring the genocide of Ukrainians. It’s also a matter of your own safety, as you can’t be sure that by paying Moscow today, you are not investing in the missiles which will rain at your cities tomorrow.
Support and join us!
1. Send a message to your representative in the EU.
2. Spread the word on social media. You can like and share our posts on Instagram, Facebook, and X (Twitter), or you can create your own.
3. Spread the word offline – print and share our A5 posters and leaflets.
“You don’t need to be Ukrainian to support Ukraine. You just need to be human.”
Oleksandra Matviichuk