Britain to impose largest sanctions against Russia’s “shadow fleet”

The sanctions will affect hundreds of ships that help the Kremlin circumvent oil restrictions and finance the war against Ukraine.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will announce a large-scale sanctions package against Russia’s “shadow fleet” today. This was reported by the press service of the British government.

100 ships that have transported more than $ 24 billion worth of Russian oil since the beginning of 2024 have been added to the “blacklist”. According to British officials, these ships not only finance Russian aggression in Ukraine, but also pose a serious threat to the critical infrastructure of Northern Europe.

“Every step we take to increase pressure on Russia and achieve a just and sustainable peace in Ukraine is another step towards the security and prosperity of the United Kingdom,” said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The Prime Minister stressed that London seeks to “destroy the shadow fleet, deprive the Russian military machine of oil revenues and protect the underwater infrastructure on which we rely in our daily lives”. He also stressed that the threat from Russia to Britain’s national security cannot be underestimated.

With the introduction of sanctions in 2022, according to London’s estimates, Russia’s energy revenues have decreased by more than a third. The Kremlin is forced to reduce the welfare fund, while defense spending is growing to record levels, and inflation is accelerating.

It is separately indicated that the “shadow fleet” is managed by structures close to the Russian leadership, and its activities are often accompanied by incidents that pose an environmental and infrastructure threat.

Starmer will officially announce the government’s new decision during the JEF summit in Oslo. It is also expected to expand military cooperation with Ukraine – in particular, by involving the Ukrainian military in joint exercises, exchanging experience and combating disinformation.

Reference: JEF (Joint Expeditionary Force) is a defense alliance of ten countries in Northern Europe, including Great Britain, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. Ukraine has been actively participating in the activities of JEF since the beginning of the full-scale war.

The day before, the European Commission also presented new sanctions against the Russian “shadow fleet” to ambassadors.

At the same time, the US is ready to impose sanctions against ships supplying weapons from the DPRK to Russia.