Japan's Sakhalin-2 LNG buyers told to pay bank inside Russia

Russian-owned operator apparently aims to shield funds from Western sanctions

Japan imports 10% of its LNG yearly from the Sakhalin-2 project in Russia's Far East. An LNG port at Sakhalin-2 is shown here.

YUTA TAKAGI, Nikkei staff writer

July 30, 2022 00:36 JST

TOKYO -- Japanese importers of liquefied natural gas from Russia's Sakhalin-2 energy project have been told to change how they make payments, instructed to pay a Russian branch of a European bank, sources say, a move likely intended to shield Moscow's LNG revenue from sanctions.