A grassroots campaign against a Glasgow-based company which is bankrolling Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to the tune of $5 billion per year has won international support from across Europe and North America.

Supporters of Ukraine today rallied outside the headquarters of Seapeak Maritime Glasgow Limited, one of the world’s largest owner-operators of liquefied gas vessels.

The demonstration was called by the Ukraine Solidarity Campaign Scotland (USCS) in conjunction with Climate Camp Scotland and the Ukrainian student societies at Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee Universities, who have agreed to launch a new Stop Seapeak Coalition.

Six Seapeak icebreaker tankers are used to transport Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Siberia via the North Sea to ports in Europe and across the world.

The Helsinki-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) estimates that these tankers have transported $15.07 billion USD in Russian LNG from the start of the war to the end of March 2025 – generating crucial revenue for the Russian Federation.

Scottish Green Party leader Patrick Harvie MSP addressed today’s demonstration, which also received messages of support from Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton and Labour MSP Paul Sweeney, both of whom are currently in Ukraine.

International messages of support were received from Swedish MEP Jonas Sjöstedt, the European Network for Solidarity with Ukraine (ENSU), and Climate Justice Victoria.

Speaking after the demonstration, Glasgow councillor Graham Campbell, chair of the Ukraine Solidarity Campaign Scotland, said:

“I was proud to chair the rally today on behalf of the Ukraine Solidarity Campaign Scotland, who’ve spent the last few months putting together a coalition of climate activists, Ukrainian students and Ukraine solidarity campaigners in the Scottish trade union movement.

“Today was our second protest at the HQ of Seapeak Maritime, a company undermining the oil sanctions against Russia by using their fleet to supply Russian LNG to EU ports, mainly Zeebrugge.

“UK and EU governments, despite their rhetoric, have given more funding in trade for Russian oil and gas than they’ve given to Ukraine to defend itself from genocidal Russian aggression.

“This trade is earning the Putin regime $5 billion a year, which has been used to invade Ukraine and to indiscriminately bomb, torture and kill its citizens.

“Quite literally, Seapeak is sponsoring an evil fossil fuel dictatorship’s war on an independent democratic nation.

“Seapeak has blood on its hands and we will keep shutting their Glasgow offices down until the UK Labour government listens to our demands – to sanction Russian LNG, close down Seapeak’s operations.”

Speakers at today’s demonstration included:

• Ukrainian activist Vlada on behalf of the Stop Seapeak Coalition;
• Climate justice campaigner Quan Nguyen;
• Alena Ivanova of Another Europe Is Possible;
• Patrick Harvie MSP, Scottish Green Party co-leader;
• Taras Harasym, president of the University of Edinburgh Ukrainian Society;
• Sasha Diachenko, secretary of Glasgow University Ukrainian Society
• Anna Konovalenko, activist and member of Glasgow University Ukrainian Society;
• Peter Cooper, secretary of the Ukraine Solidarity Campaign Scotland.

In a message of solidarity, Mr Sjöstedt, the former leader of Sweden’s Left Party, told demonstrators:

“As a member of the European Parliament from the Swedish Left, I stand in full solidarity with the Stop Seapeak LNG campaign.

“It is deeply troubling that companies continue to facilitate the transport of Russian LNG, something which we have also campaigned against in Sweden.

“Just like the Russian shadow fleet in the Baltic sea, these fossil fuels continue to fund Russia’s illegal invasion and occupation of Ukraine. They must be stopped and sanctioned.

“Your campaign is a crucial contribution towards this effort. Seapeak must be held accountable.”

Mr Weyts, of the ENSU committee in Belgium, said:

“Through Zeebrugge Port, Belgium served – and unfortunately still serves – as a main hub for the transit of Russian LNG in Europe. This transit has been the focus of a broad campaign to stop it.

“We have had some success, leading to promises by the Belgian government to stop the transit. Unfortunately, we still see circumventions of the promises.

“It is clear we need to keep campaigning, and stay vigilant and mobilised. All our solidarity with your important action!”

Climate Justice Victoria highlighted the extraction of Russian LNG from the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, home to the indigenous Nenets people, where growing fossil extraction poses an existential threat to their traditional way of life.

The group said:

“We are located on the territories of the Lekewungen people, on the west coast of Canada. As an organisation that supports Indigenous rights and decarbonisation we support your action today.

“We must hold governments and companies accountable for their continued extraction of fossil fuels that threaten the liveability of our planet. We also support Indigenous communities, such as the Nenets people, that oppose extraction on their territories.

“Russian oil and gas funds the brutal war against Ukraine. We must hold the companies that facilitate the transport and sale of Russian LNG to account.”