Spain imported a record 9,807 GWh of Russian gas in March 2026—more than during the 2023 energy crisis—as power plant demand surged to prevent blackouts, partly driven by the ongoing US-Israel war against Iran disrupting Middle Eastern energy supplies. The EU's phased sanctions ban pipeline gas in fall 2027 and LNG starting January 2027, but Spain is using regasification plants to store and resell Russian LNG while negotiating alternative sources from Algeria and the US. The core claim is well-sourced from Enagás grid data and corroborated by Reuters reporting, though the article doesn't separate how much of the surge reflects storage-for-resale versus domestic consumption—a key distinction for understanding Spain's actual energy position.