Thread warns Russian energy undercuts Europe industry

X user @onlydjole posted a thread within the last 48 hours arguing that Europe’s industrial producers are losing cost competitiveness because Russian energy is still reaching non-European buyers at lower prices. The post said manufacturers in China, India and parts of Southeast Asia benefit from cheaper oil, gas and coal inputs while European companies face higher energy bills after the bloc’s break with Russian supplies. The thread framed that gap as a “boomerang” effect of sanctions, pointing to import data and calling for a policy response. The argument landed as the European Union is still tightening rules on Russian energy. The European Commission said on May 6, 2025 that the EU had reduced the share of Russian gas in its imports to 19% from 45% before the war, but also said Russian gas imports rebounded in 2024. The Commission’s roadmap set out a plan to end dependence on Russian gas, oil and nuclear supplies by 2027. ### What exactly did the thread claim? @onlydjole argued that the issue is not only whether Europe buys less Russian energy, but where those barrels and cargoes go next. The post said countries in Asia can buy Russian supplies at reduced prices, lowering industrial input costs for steel, chemicals and heavy manufacturing while European firms pay more for replacement energy. The social post’s broader claim — that sanctions can redirect trade rather than eliminate it — matches part of the current export picture. (commission.europa.eu) The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air said Russia’s fossil fuel export revenues in May 2025 were 565 million euros per day, even after a 3% month-on-month drop, and said India’s imports of Russian coal rose 34% month on month to an all-time high of 3.74 million tonnes. ### Is there evidence that Russian energy is still reaching big buyers? CREA’s May 2025 analysis said Russian seaborne oil exports fell 7% month on month, but almost half of those exports were still carried by G7+ tankers. The same report said Russian LNG revenues were stable at 40 million euros per day in May, while pipeline-gas revenues were 51 million euros per day. (energyandcleanair.org) The European Commission has also acknowledged that the problem is not finished. Its May 6 roadmap said the rebound in Russian gas imports in 2024 was one reason for new action, including tighter monitoring of gas origins, a gradual ban on new and short-term contracts, and national phaseout plans from member states. (energyandcleanair.org) ### Did the post prove Europe pays “double or triple”? The thread’s “double or triple” language is harder to verify as a single, fixed benchmark because energy prices vary by fuel, contract type, country and period. But official and industry data support the narrower point that Europe has faced structurally higher gas costs than some rival regions since the loss of most Russian pipeline supply. The International Energy Agency said in its Q3 2025 gas market summary that tighter supply, lower Russian pipeline exports to the EU and Europe’s storage needs supported higher gas prices in key import markets in the first half of 2025. (commission.europa.eu) The IEA also said Europe’s industrial gas demand had recovered only partly and remained below its pre-crisis level. ### What has Brussels already done? The European Parliament’s legislative tracker says the Commission published its roadmap on May 6, 2025, followed by a June 17, 2025 proposal to phase out Russian natural-gas imports. It says a trilogue agreement was reached on December 3, 2025 and the regulation was published in the Official Journal on February 2, 2026. (iea.org) The same tracker says a separate proposal to phase out remaining Russian oil imports was expected on April 14, 2026, while timing for nuclear-supply measures remained unclear. That leaves the policy debate moving from political argument on social media to implementation in Brussels, with member-state plans and enforcement details still central to the next stage. (europarl.europa.eu)