TotalEnergies losing ground in Russia

It is an unexpected decision after two days of controversy. Friday, August 26, TotalEnergies sells its shares in a gas field company in Siberia. 49% owned by the French giant, the gas field would be used to manufacture kerosene. This fuel would then be used by Russian planes in the war in Ukraine, sometimes hitting civilian populations as in Mariupol. These revelations were made by the NGO Global Witness and the newspaper The world.

Since the publication of this investigation, the Minister of Transport has called for clarification of the role of TotalEnergies in Russia. As for the French tanker, he has publicly condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and denies any accusations. “No, TotalEnergies does not produce kerosene for the Russian army”, is it written in a press release from the group. TotalEnergies claims that its withdrawal from the gas field had been underway for several weeks. The company remains present in Russia to exploit other hydrocarbons. It is the last major Western oil group on Russian soil.