The British government announced sanctions against Russia’s “shadow fleet” and new aid for Ukraine

The British government announced new sanctions against 20 tankers that “illegally transported Russian oil” and aid to Ukraine to restore the energy system, according to a statement published on the government’s website.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that his country is introducing new sanctions against the Russian energy sector.

“Today’s sanctions target 20 Shadow Fleet vessels carrying illegal Russian oil, including Ocean Faye, Andaman Skies and Mianzimu, each of which carried more than four million barrels of Russian oil in 2024,” the statement said.

So far, Great Britain has imposed sanctions against more than 100 vessels transporting Russian energy, including 93 oil tankers.

Also, Great Britain provided 35 million pounds of emergency aid to Ukraine “to restore the energy system and support vulnerable sections of the population.”

“The package includes £20m of funding to meet energy needs, as well as repairs to the electricity network, provision of additional power generation capacity and protection of energy infrastructure. A further £15 million will go towards humanitarian aid,” the statement said.

On December 16, the Council of the EU adopted the 15th package of economic and individual restrictive measures “in order to further limit Russia’s ability to wage an illegal, unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine.”

According to the representative of the EU for foreign relations and security policy, Vice President of the European Commission Kai Callas, “the sanctions are designed to counteract the circumvention of EU sanctions by targeting the “shadow fleet” of Russian President Vladimir Putin and to weaken the Russian military-industrial complex.”

The administration of US President Joe Biden is also considering new sanctions targeting the “shadow fleet” that Russia uses to transport oil, the report said. According to Bloomberg sources, the White House may announce these measures in the coming weeks

Russia uses old tankers – often uninsured and with unclear ownership – to export crude oil and petroleum products abroad, despite EU and G7 sanctions. This activity also raises concerns about the risk of environmental disasters, including major oil spills. As part of the Russian Federation’s systematic efforts to circumvent the EU, the “shadow fleet” provides a key financial basis for Russia in its war against Ukraine.