China received 22 shipments of LNG in 2025 from two Russian export projects subject to US and European Union sanctions, highlighting Beijing’s continued engagement with Moscow’s energy sector despite western efforts to restrict revenues flowing to Russia.

Ship-tracking data show that 21 of the cargoes originated from the Arctic LNG 2 project in northern Russia, with a further shipment coming from Gazprom’s Portovaya LNG facility on the Baltic Sea, Reuters reports. Both projects have been placed under sanctions by Washington and Brussels as part of broader measures introduced following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The deliveries underline the limited impact of western restrictions on Russia’s ability to redirect energy exports towards Asian markets, particularly China, but also to a lesser extent India. Arctic LNG 2, developed by Novatek, is a flagship project intended to anchor Russia’s long-term ambitions in the global LNG trade, even as access to western finance, insurance and technology has been curtailed, the report added.

Overall, Russia’s LNG exports to China reached an all-time high in 2025. Monthly data show a sharp rise in September, when shipments doubled from a year earlier to 1.6mn tonnes OILPRICE adds. Between June and November alone, Novatek is estimated to have sold more than 1mn tonnes of LNG from Arctic LNG 2 into the Chinese market. Loading activity intensified from August, with multiple ice-class LNG carriers leaving the Arctic in quick succession.

The surge in Russian volumes came at a time when China’s broader LNG demand had softened. For much of 2025, imports lagged behind 2024 levels as slower economic momentum, higher domestic gas output and strong pipeline supplies reduced the need for seaborne cargoes. Russian pipeline gas deliveries via the Power of Siberia link meanwhile continued to rise, further easing pressure on LNG imports.

However, the picture shifted towards the end of the year. LNG imports rebounded sharply in November, rising 13.6% year on year to 6.94mn tonnes. Preliminary shipping data suggest December volumes were higher still, at about 7.17mn tonnes. These increases followed a prolonged 12-month period of declining imports and reflected a seasonal lift in demand alongside opportunistic buying as prices softened.

Chinese state-owned groups have a direct stake in the project with China National Petroleum Corporation and China National Offshore Oil Corporation each holding a 10% share in Arctic LNG 2, aligning China not only as a buyer but also as an investor in the development.

According to the Reuters report, all 22 cargoes delivered last year were unloaded at the Beihai LNG terminal in the Guangxi region of south-western China, according to the tracking data. That terminal is operated by PipeChina, the state-controlled pipeline group that manages much of the country’s gas infrastructure.

In turn, the steady flow of sanctioned Russian LNG into China comes against a backdrop of shifting gas market dynamics. For Russia, the shipments provide a crucial revenue stream at a time when traditional European markets have largely closed. For China, they reinforce a strategy of diversifying supply sources and strengthening energy ties with Russia, even as geopolitical tensions continue to reshape global energy trade.