British Tightens Sanctions Against Russia's Shadow Fleet.

United Kingdom introduces new sanctions against the Russian maritime fleet

The UK government announced the introduction of new restrictive measures against the Russian maritime fleet on October 17, 2024. The sanctions concern 18 oil tankers and 4 LNG tankers that are part of the so-called "shadow fleet" of the Russian Federation. This was reported by Ukrinform.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy stated that these measures are part of a strategy to counter Russia's malicious activities. He emphasized that it is necessary to stop illegal financing of Putin's war, cyberattacks, and barbarism on the front lines in Ukraine. Lammy also noted that the UK is leading the fight against Putin's efforts to maintain his energy revenues through the threat posed by Russia's "shadow fleet" to the European and world coastlines.

New restrictive measures and their consequences for Russia

According to the new sanctions, vessels of Russia's "shadow fleet" will be prohibited from visiting UK ports and will lose access to leading British maritime services. The UK government estimates that only last year, oil tankers of the "shadow fleet" transported oil worth about USD 4.9 billion. In addition, sanctions extend to 4 LNG tankers and the Russian gas company JSC "RusGasDobycha." Thus, the total number of Russian oil tankers sanctioned by the UK is 43.

Accusations against Russia for violating the Code of Conduct

In addition to introducing new sanctions, the UK accused Russia of violating the Code of Conduct during an OSCE meeting.