On April 8, 2024, representatives of Razom We Stand and Global Witness testified before the special French Senate Commission of Inquiry into TotalEnergies group obligations. A vital testimony by Razom We Stand expert, Ukrainian Campaigns Director Oleh Savytskyi, focused on facts and records of cooperation between TotalEnergies and the major Russian energy company Novatek. Over the past decade, this TotalEnergies collaboration has made export expansion possible for Russian fossil fuels to global markets through oil and gas joint ventures, helping contribute revenue for Putin's war funds. Oleh Savytskyi explained the catastrophic effects of such investment decisions on Ukraine.

“Partnership between Total Energies and Novatek became instrumental for Russia to get access to critical technologies and engineering services that were necessary for its strategic energy export expansion plans. Similar to Nord Stream 2, Yamal LNG and Arctic LNG 2 projects were used by Russia to diversify its gas supply routes to Europe, creating bypasses from Ukraine’s gas transmission system. By having alternative gas supply routes, Putin’s hands became untied for a bloody war in Ukraine. When he initiated a full-scale invasion, he believed to have full control over Europe’s gas supply. With bitter regret, Franco-Russian joint ventures have contributed to Russia’s ability to wage a war of aggression against sovereign Ukraine, creating a bloodbath unseen in Europe since the Second World War”, said Oleh Savytskyi, Campaigns Director of Razom We Stand.

Materials of the hearings included the transcript of the April 2021 meeting of the Franco-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, where petro-dicator Vladimir Putin was naming joint ventures Yamal LNG and Arctic LNG 2 as “globally famous landmark projects” and exchanging assurances of a reliable partnership with CEO of  TotalEnergies CEO Patric Pouyanne.Materials of the hearings included the transcript of the April 2021 meeting of the Franco-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, where petro-dicator Vladimir Putin was naming joint ventures Yamal LNG and Arctic LNG 2 as “globally famous landmark projects” and exchanging assurances of a reliable partnership with CEO of  TotalEnergies CEO Patric Pouyanne.

TotalEnergies owns a 20% stake in the Yamal LNG project, which started operation in December 2017 and produces 19 million tons of LNG per year.  The company also owns 10% of the shares of Arctic LNG 2 – a new LNG terminal, the first stage of which was commissioned last year but is not operating to date because of the effects of the US sanctions.

Total Energies entered the Yamal LNG joint venture with Novatek in October 2011, acquiring a 20% stake. The final investment decision for the project was signed in December 2013. Commissioning of the project started in 2014, the same year that Russia annexed Crimea and started the war of aggression against Ukraine. In July 2014, Novatek became subject to international sanctions imposed by the United States in response to Russian aggression against Ukraine.

In 2016, Emmanuel Quidet, president of the Franco-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, led a successful lobbying campaign in the French parliament that helped lift trade restrictions against Russia and allowed Total Energies to continue developing joint projects with Novatek. After the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, Emmanuel Quidet fled to Russia and acquired Russian citizenship under Putin’s decree dated September 26, 2022 No. 673.

END

About Razom We Stand:

Razom We Stand is a Ukrainian organisation active internationally, calling for a total and permanent embargo on Russian fossil fuels and an immediate end to all investment into Russian oil and gas companies by phasing out fossil fuels globally.

Razom We Stand staff have appeared in top international press, including Le Monde, Bloomberg, Der Spiegel, The Hill, Politico, Washington Post, CNN, NBC, Financial Times, The Guardian, and; a detailed list is here.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Paraic Walker International Communications Specialist Razom We Stand

press@razomwestand.org