UK Adds 70 Tankers to Russian Sanctions Along with Electronics Suppliers
The UK expanded its list of sanctions targeting Russia’s oil and gas industry as well as suppliers of electronics and other military components. The latest round of sanctions came as the UK’s new Foreign Secretary made her visit to Kyiv.
With the new action, the UK again claims the position as the country with the most sanctioned tankers. The long list includes vessels that have previously been listed by the United States, as well as targeting Russian majors, including Sovcomflot, Rosneft, and Gazprom. Among the ships are the Vasily Dinkov (72,700 dwt), which was introduced in 2008 by Sovcomflot as the first of three new Arctic enhanced ice-class tankers, designed to transport oil from the Varandey oil field within the Arctic Circle. There are also multiple vessels linked to Gazprom, including a gas tanker, Gazpromneft Zuid East (6,897), which was previously listed by the United States.
The UK highlighted that it continues to lead the charge against the shadow fleet. It said the goal is to reduce sources of revenue.
The UK is now approaching 500 listed tankers, having already listed 423 tankers, a dramatic increase from just over 100 tankers sanctioned at the start of 2025. The EU, by comparison, currently has sanctions on 444 tankers, while the U.S. lags at just over 200 tankers from the Russian shadow fleet.
“International action to increase economic pressure on Russia and to cut off critical cash flows which he desperately needs to pay for this illegal war is vital,” said Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper. “These sanctions form the next stage in the UK’s leading efforts to ramp up economic pressure alongside our security support and our work alongside the Coalition of the Willing for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.”
She noted that Russia, in the last two weeks, has again moved to obstruct the US-led peace efforts by launching the largest air attack of the war against Ukraine. They noted that over 800 missiles and drones were fired in a single night and over 6,500 in July. Attacks, they said, are a level ten times that of a year ago.
In addition to the tankers, the UK added 30 entities and individuals that it says are propping up Russia’s war machine. They said the companies were being targeted for supplying key equipment such as electronics, chemicals, and explosives used to manufacture missiles and other weapons systems.
In addition to listing companies in Russia, the UK also targeted others supplying the effort. This included companies based in China and Turkey. They were also linked to electronics widely used in Russian weaponry, including drones and missiles.