Two NGOs have filed a complaint against French power giant TotalEnergies for “complicity in war crimes” for allegedly helping fuel Russian planes that have bombed Ukraine, RFI reports.
The NGOs accuse TotalEnergies of exploiting a gas field manufacturing kerosene that has been used by Russian planes during bombing raids on Ukraine, including on the city of Mariupol where Russian jets bombed a theater where civilians were hiding.
Contacted by AFP, TotalEnergies rejected the accusations, calling them “outrageous,” “defamatory,” and “unfounded”.
In August, an investigation by London-based NGO Global Witness said gas condensate from Total’s Termokarstovoye field was transported across Russia for refining before being shipped as jet fuel to Russian Air Force bases near Ukraine. The report said that the fuel was produced from gas condensate supplied by Terneftegaz, in which Totalenergies held 49% of shares.
Totalenergies, which unlike major Western rivals has held on to its assets in Russia despite criticism, said it did not operate infrastructure that would have supplied the Russian military but acknowledged its shareholding in Terneftegaz.
TotalEnergies venture helped fuel Russian military – activist group
