EU gas overpayment claim and Russian energy purchases
Russian state-affiliated channels and some Russian-language outlets report that Ursula von der Leyen admitted the EU overpaid €100 billion for gas in 2026, while an English-language outlet explicitly contradicts that claim. Social cluster repeats the Russian version; a social cluster discusses von der Leyen critically but the sampled posts do not clearly repeat the gas figure.
Nemotron compares the versions; it does not decide which one is true. Every small number points to a source below.
Who says what
One source [Telegram channel @lomovkaa, republished by the Pravda network]
Russian MFA economic cooperation director Dmitry Birichevsky claims von der Leyen admitted the EU overpaid €100 billion for total gas imports in 2026 compared with 2025; the EU continues buying Russian energy despite lower volumes and has paid $320 billion for Russian energy raw materials since 2022.1
One outlet [streamlinefeed.co.ke, English edition]
Von der Leyen’s speech contradicts Russia’s €100 billion gas claim.2
Outlets [Russian-language outlets: Финансы Mail, URA.RU, rosbalt.ru, Рамблер, Газета, The World Inform]
Report the Russian MFA statement that the EU overpaid €100 billion for gas in 2026, linking it to the EU’s refusal of Russian gas/supplies and its own decisions.3–8
A social cluster [suspicious/staged server cluster, 14 accounts]
Repeats the claim in German: von der Leyen admitted the EU paid €100 billion too much for gas imports in 2026 due to its own decisions. [group]
A social cluster [suspicious/staged server cluster, 17 accounts]
Posts criticize von der Leyen (e.g., calling her detached from reality) but the sampled posts do not clearly repeat the €100 billion gas-overpayment figure. [group]
Where they contradict each other
- facts One outlet says von der Leyen’s speech contradicts Russia’s €100 billion claim, whereas sources present the €100 billion figure as an admission by von der Leyen or as a Russian MFA claim.1–8
- blame One source frames the overpayment as the result of EU decisions and refusal of Russian gas; one outlet frames the €100 billion figure as a Russian claim contradicted by reality.1–2
- omission One source adds that the EU continued buying Russian energy and paid $320 billion for Russian energy raw materials since 2022; the outlets snippets do not include this $320 billion figure (outlets mention refusal of Russian gas/supplies instead).1,3,7
- timing All sides place the claim in 2026.1–8
What all sides agree on
Claims only state media make
- That von der Leyen “admitted” the €100 billion overpayment (contradicted by one outlet).1–2
- That the EU paid $320 billion for Russian energy raw materials since 2022 while continuing purchases.1
No independent outlet in the searched editions reports these. That is weak evidence, not proof they are false.
Pictures and video
Blurred: click one to show it. They load from the platform's own servers.
- search this picture: Google Lens · TinEye Photo of Ursula von der Leyen speaking with an EU flag behind her; consistent with her being the subject of the story, but does not verify the €100 billion claim.
- Screenshot of a Chay Bowes tweet criticizing von der Leyen as “detached from reality,” with a photo from an EPC Ireland 2026 event; consistent with the criticism narrative and the 2026 timing, but does not verify the gas-overpayment figure.
- Photo of a man speaking at a podium with an EU flag and another flag; consistent with a Russian official delivering the claim, but does not verify the content.
Who is spreading which version
- A group of accounts we found [group] repeats the state-media version: Russian state media version. Sample posts repeat the €100 billion gas-overpayment claim in German.
Also matched by keyword, but not about this story: [group]
Sources
- Telegram channel @lomovkaa (republished by the Pravda network) : Фон дер Ляйен признала огромную переплату ЕС за газ. Сами еэсовцы, несмотря на снизившиеся объемы, продолжают закупки из России и начиная с 2022 года заплатили $320 млрд за отечественное энергосырье. При этом, по признан read →
- https://streamlinefeed.co.ke/ (en edition, 2026-11-14): Von der Leyen's speech contradicts Russia's €100 billion gas claim read →
- Финансы Mail (ru edition, 2026-11-14): Переплата ЕС за газ в 2026 году: €100 млрд и отказ от российских поставок read →
- URA.RU (ru edition, 2026-11-14): В верхушке Европы признали тотальную переплату за газ из-за отказа сотрудничать с Россией read →
- rosbalt.ru (ru edition, 2026-11-14): В МИД России рассказали о переплате ЕС за импорт газа в 2026 году read →
- Рамблер (ru edition, 2026-11-14): Фон дер Ляйен признала переплаты из-за своих решений по газу read →
- Газета (ru edition, 2026-11-14): В МИД РФ указали на невыгодную позицию ЕС из-за отказа от российского газа read →
- The World Inform (ru edition, 2026-11-14): МИД РФ: фон дер Ляйен признала, что ЕС переплатил за газ €100 млрд с 2026 года read →