British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday announced the U.K.’s largest sanctions package yet targeting Russia’s so-called shadow fleet of oil tankers believed to be circumventing Western restrictions imposed over the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The British government said it was sanctioning up to 100 vessels that have carried more than $24 billion worth of oil since early 2023. It also unveiled measures aimed at individuals and entities behind the fleet.
The U.K. has already blacklisted more Russian shadow fleet ships than any other country, seeking to make them a financial liability for the Kremlin’s war economy.
Experts say the shadow fleet, which comprises tankers with murky ownership and no proper insurance, has helped Russia continue selling oil despite export bans and a price cap.
London claims that Western sanctions have already slashed more than a third of Russia’s oil and gas revenues since 2022. It also accused the aging tankers of damaging critical subsea cables across Europe.
“The threat from Russia to our national security cannot be underestimated,” Starmer said in a statement.
“That is why we will do everything in our power to destroy his shadow fleet operation, starve his war machine of oil revenues and protect the subsea infrastructure that we rely on for our everyday lives,” he added.
In a post on X, Starmer said the sanctions aimed to “safeguard working people” in the U.K.
The prime minister was in Oslo on Friday for a meeting of the British-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), where Ukraine and Arctic security topped the agenda.
The alliance was expected to announce new support for Ukraine, including expanded military training and anti-disinformation efforts.
Britain and Norway are also set to sign a new memorandum on “space domain awareness,” focused on tracking satellites, debris and other orbiting objects.
JEF includes Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
AFP contributed reporting.
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