Climate activists have blockaded the Glasgow offices of Russia-linked shipping company Seapeak, demanding an end to gas shipping that is fuelling the invasion of Ukraine.

The campaigners are disrupting Seapeak’s Glasgow HQ operations in solidarity with the people of Ukraine. Four activists have locked themselves to four bikes with another three activists sitting and blocking the office. One activist is also locked to a gas canister. Other activists are displaying banners reading “Stop Shipping War” and “Make Renewables Not War”. Blue and yellow smoke flares, representing the colours of the Ukrainian flag, have also been set-off.

One of those participating in the blockade, Scott Tully, said: “We are demonstrating the link between fossil fuel activity in Glasgow and Russia’s war on Ukraine, though Seapeak also operate in other regions experiencing violence. Seapeak – and other war profiteering companies – are seen as an acceptable part of our economy by our governments. We need a root and branch shake up of our economy, towards renewable energy for peace and away from cynical war-profiteers like Seapeak.”

Seapeak are a £4.7bn fossil fuel shipping enterprise, with their Glasgow offices coordinating giant gas tanker ships all across the world, including in the Russian Arctic.

Russia’s mass reserves of fossil fuels, including gas, are crucial for Russia’s war machine, with Putin’s regime making more than $500m a day from fossil fuels as of October last year.

The UK has banned any Russian affiliated ships from entering their shores – leading to Seapeak-owned ship, the Eduard Toll, being denied access to Belfast. Seapeak are still coordinating gas tankers around the world from Glasgow, helping support what has been termed a “fossil fuel war“.

The blockade is responding to an open letter from Extinction Rebellion Ukraine,  which called Russian coal, oil and gas an “existential threat both for world peace and for the climate”.

In their open letter to the world, Extinction Rebellion Ukraine appealed for a united response against fossil-fuelled terror. They said:

“If the Green Deal agenda was established earlier and implemented in the EU at a faster pace, if the EU would have announced carbon neutrality by 2030, the massive problems that Europe faces today could naturally have been avoided.”

“We need to start global divestment from all fossil-based businesses that feed billions into escalation of two potentially planet-killing threats – Putin’s military machine and escalation of the climate crisis.”