Despite comprehensive EU sanctions imposed on Russia in response to its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russian oil still floods into the European Union, much of it with obscured provenance.

Indeed fossil fuel exports pumped an estimated €4.47 billion ($4.85 billion) per week into the Russian economy in mid-October, €350 million of which came from the EU.

Gas purchases from Russia, although still well below the 150 billion cubic meters (bcm) registered in 2021, started to creep up again in late 2023.

EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson recently expressed her "deep concern" over these increases, telling a mid-October EU Energy Council meeting: "We must remain vigilant that this does not become a structural trend."

But some EU member states aren't even trying to curb their addiction.

In Central Europe, where dependence on Russian energy is traditionally heaviest, the likes of Austria, Hungary and Slovakia remain reliant on Russia for around 80% of their gas.

Given this high dependence and the challenge of annulling long-term contracts, it's certainly a tougher task for those in the region to switch to what are often more expensive alternatives.

The Czech Republic (Czechia) has managed, largely switching to buying liquefied natural gas (LNG) via the Netherlands and Germany. However, it has found weaning itself off Russian oil harder.

Simson's tone suggests Brussels is becoming impatient.

"We must remember," she said, "that the costs of dealing with Russia are not just measured in the price of gas, but also in the........

© Deutsche Welle