Among those taking part in the crucial climate talks are billionaire and former aluminum tycoon Oleg Deripaska, who is under sanctions in the UK, and billionaire Andrey Melnichenko, the former head of Russian fertilizer company EuroChem Group, who has targeted with individual sanctions by the European Union which he disputed, calling them “absurd and absurd”. Gas giant Gazprom sent six representatives to the talks, along with the CEO of Sberbank. Both are subject to US and EU sanctions. Also attending are representatives of oil company Lukoil, mining company Severstal and Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works, which are subject to US sanctions. Oil and gas company Tatneft, currently under EU approval, sent three lobbyists to the climate talks, according to data compiled by Corporate Accountability, Global Witness and the Corporate Europe Observatory. The Russian delegation includes metals companies Severstal and NLMK Group, part of an industry that has faced sanctions from the EU. The Cop27 climate talks have been heavily colored by discussions about how the world should adapt to a lack of Russian gas supplies. This follows months of fears in Europe of energy shortages stemming from Moscow’s decision to abruptly halt gas supplies to Europe in response to international sanctions over President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in February. As delegates gathered in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, environmental groups, scientists and representatives from the global south expressed fears that Europe’s energy crisis could be used as a pretext for further gas exploration in Africa, rather than a push to increase renewable energy resources worldwide. The presence of industry lobbyists and oil and gas industry executives, including six representatives from the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, a lobby group, suggests Russia is using the crucial climate talks to build business. It also suggests that the Russian delegation may seek to promote non-approved industries, such as certain metals and fertilizers, linked to Russia’s impact on global food supplies and rising food costs, particularly in the global south. Russia is the world’s fourth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases and third-largest supplier of oil, behind the US and Saudi Arabia, with a troubled environmental record that includes a decade of drilling in the Arctic for further fossil fuel supplies as permafrost melts under rising global temperatures. Critics argued that Russia had looked for ways to profit from the climate crisis, particularly with regard to Arctic drilling. Putin’s climate envoy Ruslan Edelgeriev told the Cop27 talks that “if there were no sanctions, or restrictions or any discriminatory approaches, the Russian Federation could have reached carbon neutrality earlier.” Deripaska was indicted by the US Justice Department in September on tax evasion charges linked to his company Basic Element. According to the Interfax news agency, he divested his controlling stake in EN+, which sent three representatives to Sharm el-Sheikh, in 2019 as part of an agreement with the US Treasury Department’s Foreign Assets Control office. Dr. Oleksiy Ryabchyn, a Ukrainian member of the delegation to Cop27, said it was “ridiculous to know that Russian oligarchs are secretly running the corridors. It’s ridiculous that they can travel freely. To me, if these oligarchs are not able to stop this bloody war, then they should not be [at Cop]. Ukrainian NGOs tried to find these Russians to organize a protest, but they are hiding in offices and afraid to walk freely in the corridor. We see that Russia is completely isolated at this conference.” The most important stories on the planet. Get all the week’s environmental news – the good, the bad and the must-haves Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The wealth of Melnichenko and representatives of his former company Eurochem is linked to the production of vital Russian fertilizers. In August, the head of EuroChem praised the US Treasury department responsible for global sanctions for its decision not to sanction them, saying it meant they were “recognised as a critical player in the global food supply”. UN chief Antonio Guterres said he would work with officials to ensure a global supply of Russian fertilizer products. Samir Brikho, Executive Chairman of EuroChem, said: “Thousands of farmers around the world depend on us to provide them with the timely crop nutrients they need to get the most out of their land so they can feed their communities. . “ Ukrainian and Western officials have accused Russia of using food as a weapon after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, which sent global food prices soaring. Russia has used the wave to put pressure on Western countries that support Ukraine and as leverage on nations of the Global South, including Cop27 host Egypt. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken told the UN in May that “the food supply for millions of Ukrainians and millions of others around the world has literally been held hostage by the Russian military.”
