Announcing the results of its own study on the change of fossil fuel supply flows in Europe determined by EU sanctions imposed on Russia for war against Ukraine, the environmental organization Transport & Environment complained that the change happened without reduce European demand for oil, which has been simply satisfied by substituting imports from Russia with those from other producing countries, thus losing once again - T&E denounced - an opportunity historical to decrease fossil fuel consumption and reduce dependence on imports. "In little more than a year - explained Carlo Tritto, policy officer for T&E Italia - the EU has significantly reduced its dependence on Russian oil. Unfortunately this is not due to a reduction in consumption of fossil fuel, but to a "barrel" substitution strategy per barrel" of Russian crude oil with that of new suppliers. If all the efforts made in redrawing the map of imports were directed towards policies of Overcoming dependence on hydrocarbons, today we would have a better and cleaner energy system."

The study specifies that if in January 2022, the previous month at the start of the conflict unleashed on February 24 by Moscow against Ukraine, Russia accounted for 31% of European imports of oil, in March 2023, following the various sanctions, the share fell to just 3%. This has happened with the increase in imports from other producing nations. In particularly, at the end of 2022 the United States replaced the Russia as the first exporter to Europe, with 11% of EU imports; followed closely by Norway and Arabia Saudi. In addition to those from traditional suppliers, they have grown Monthly imports from Angola to the EU also increased by six times to almost six million barrels. Also the Share of Brazilian and Iraqi exports has increased.

The study also highlights how Italy was the last country of the EU to diversify its supplies and indeed, to the contrary to other countries that with the start of the conflict in Ukraine have rapidly sought to diversify the sources of imports of crude oil, in 2022 Italy saw oil consumption grow Russian (+65% compared to the previous year) which reached represent 19% of Italian imports (13% in 2021). The document states that this figure is largely explained by the presence of a Russian-owned refinery, ISAB, in the Sicilian port of Augusta, refinery - it is specified - that, as already documented by the "Financial Times" and the "Reuters", before the war seemed to operate with crude oil of different origins, while with the beginning of sanctions on Russian oil, Moscow's crude oil rose from 30% to 100% of the refined, being able to count only on supplies from its parent company, Russia's Lukoil. The last year ISAB processed a fifth of the crude oil that arrived in Italy, determining precisely the surge in imports total Russian crude oil. This growth ended with the beginning of 2023, due to the embargo (-90% between November and December 2022). In the meantime, the agreement for the sale of the Lukoil refinery to a Cypriot company.

The study also recalls that before the conflict, in addition to the Russian imports, Italy bought oil mainly from Azerbaijan and Libya, while in 2022 imports from these countries decreased by -28% and -9% respectively compared to the year previous. Greater diversification in the portfolio of countries from to which Italy imports oil manifested itself at the end of the 2022 and especially at the beginning of 2023: the data of the first months of this year - the study announces - show which countries have offset the decline in the top three exporters, with Iraq being became the largest exporter to Italy, with a surge +15% between 2021 and early 2023; also imports from the United States have increased (by +140%), so much so that the USA are now among the top five exporters of oil to Italy; However, the largest percentage growth is that of crude oil from Kazakhstan (+460% compared to 2021), which is now the sixth exporter to Italy; Flows have also grown Saudi Arabia, the fifth largest exporter with 17%.