Throughout 2024, the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) produced a series of investigative reports and analyses that exposed sanction loopholes, illicit fossil fuel channels, and harmful industrial practices indirectly supporting authoritarian regimes. Their work, including a joint report on Russian fuel rerouting through Turkey, analyses of 'shadow' tankers, and research on divestment from Russian coal, played a key role in prompting policy reforms in the EU, UK, and US. This research has contributed to bolstering democratic accountability and redirecting economic flows away from authoritarian influences.

In December 2024, CREA published a compelling analysis revealing that the Czech Republic was exploiting EU exemptions on its Russian oil ban, indirectly funneling billions to the Kremlin. The findings spurred governmental pressure, resulting in commitments to end reliance on Russian crude by mid-2025.

In September 2024, following focused engagement and closed-door meetings, CREA's research and dialogue led Taiwan Cement Corporation to announce that it would cease purchasing Russian coal. This decision contributed to a marked decrease in Russian coal imports, undermining financial flows to authoritarian regimes.

In July 2024, CREA released an in-depth analysis of Russian 'shadow' tankers used to circumvent EU sanctions, highlighting the environmental risks and financial flows that fuel the Kremlin’s war chest. This research directly contributed to swift policy responses, with the UK, US, and EU sanctioning several tankers shortly thereafter.

In its 2023 year in review, CREA detailed a range of evidence-based research initiatives—from launching the Russia Fossil Tracker to uncovering sanction loopholes in Bulgaria—that have influenced policy decisions, challenged authoritarian economic practices, and promoted just and equitable energy transitions worldwide.

In late 2023, CREA’s investigative analysis, conducted in collaboration with partner organizations, revealed that Bulgaria’s exemption to the EU ban on Russian oil was funneling billions in tax revenue to the Kremlin, a finding that spurred policy changes to curtail authoritarian funding.

Following the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, CREA rapidly launched the Russia Fossil Tracker to monitor Russian fuel flows, providing policymakers and civil society with crucial data to counter Putin’s authoritarian regime.