Britain imposes new sanctions against 135 tankers of the Russian “shadow fleet”

The restrictions target Russia’s oil sector and vessels involved in illegal oil transportation.

The UK has announced a sweeping package of 137 sanctions targeting key elements of Russia’s oil and energy sectors, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The sanctions hit 135 Russian tankers from a “shadow fleet” that has illegally transported more than $24 billion worth of oil. Among the companies targeted is Litasco Middle East DMCC, linked to Lukoil, for its involvement in transporting large consignments of Russian oil.

“The new sanctions will further hit Putin’s shadow fleet and drain his military budget, depriving him of critical oil revenues. We will not allow Putin to delay serious peace talks and will increase economic pressure at every step, standing shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine,” said UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy.

The British government has stressed that the restrictions are synchronized with a reduction in the cap on Russian oil, which was also agreed by EU countries. This increases the financial pressure on Moscow, which has already lost more than a third of its oil and gas revenues since 2022.

Also on the eve, the EU and Britain imposed sanctions on the operator of Gabonese and Comorian ship registers, which are used to circumvent sanctions.