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France’s TotalEnergies faces legal case for 'fuelling Russian planes'

French energy giant strongly denies claims it exploited a gas field used to manufacture kerosene that was used by Russian planes in their bombings in Ukraine.

La rédaction de Mediapart

This article is freely available.

Two NGOs have filed a complaint against French energy giant TotalEnergies for "complicity in war crimes" for allegedly helping fuel Russian planes that have bombed Ukraine, according to French media reports, reports FRANCE 24.

The France-based Darwin Climax Coalition and Ukrainian group Razom We Stand handed the file to the national anti-terrorist prosecutor, who investigates war crime allegations, on Thursday.

The two NGOs accuse the French energy giant of exploiting a gas field used to manufacture kerosene used by Russian planes in their bombings in Ukraine, particularly in the March 16, 2022 strike on a Mariupol theatre sheltering civilians which killed around 600, according to French daily Le Monde.

TotalEnergies rejected the accusations, calling them calling them "outrageous and defamatory", in a statement to Le Monde.

Representatives of Razom We Stand and Darwin Climax Coalitions confirmed to Le Monde and AFP that they have filed a complaint against TotalEnergies, alleging that the company "contributed to providing the Russian government with the means necessary for the commission of war crimes".

Read more of this report from FRANCE 24.