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The United Kingdom has imported nearly two million barrels of Russian oil since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to figures released by Greenpeace on Wednesday.

Greenpeace said shipments totaling 1.9 million barrels, with an estimated value of $276 million, flowed into the United Kingdom despite a raft of international sanctions against Russian companies aimed at weakening the Kremlin’s war machine.

The UK government has banned Russian ships owned, operated or flagged from entering the UK. However, Russian fossil fuels can still flow to Britain via tankers owned and operated by other countries.

Georgia Whitaker, an oil and gas campaigner for Greenpeace UK, said: “The UK government is no stranger to hypocrisy, but pledging ‘unwavering support’ to Ukraine while shipping nearly two million barrels of Russian oil is downright disingenuous, even by standards. Boris Johnson”.

Downing Street said it would phase out Russian oil imports, but only by the end of the year.

“Despite the high death toll, the UK government has given itself until the end of the year to stop the import of bloody Russian oil,” Whitaker added.

“Sanctions don’t work until they are implemented, and another eight months of oil and gas imports is eight months too much. It is clear that we need an outright and immediate ban on all Russian fossil fuels,” Whitaker said.

A British government spokesman said: “We will phase out Russian oil by the end of the year, and imports of Russian liquid natural gas as soon as possible after that.”

“The UK has no gas or oil supply problem and, unlike Europe, we are not dependent on Russian energy imports,” the spokesperson said.

On Monday, Greenpeace activists They chained themselves to the anchor A Russian oil tanker bound for a Norwegian port, demanding the Scandinavian country stop importing Russian fossil fuels.