In his evening address, Zelensky said that the imposed sanctions mark the first of three planned packages that will be imposed in the near future.
“Sanctions have been imposed on the captains of Russia’s shadow fleet, and we will synchronize all of this – all of these packages – with our partners to ensure the pressure is effective across most jurisdictions,” Zelensky added.
Russia’s shadow fleet refers to Moscow’s aging and poorly insured tankers, which Moscow uses to evade sanctions and conduct espionage, among other objectives.
The sanction target citizens of Russia, Iran, Pakistan, Myanmar, China, Bangladesh, India, and Georgia. Russia regularly has vessels registered in other countries as a means to circumvent Western sanctions and oil price caps.
Russia’s shadow fleet has been increasingly targeted by Kyiv and Western sanctions as international partners seek to curb Russian oil revenues, which help fund its war machine.
Zelensky signed a law on July 30 enabling sanctions against vessels and aircraft involved in covert Russian schemes to transport oil, weapons, and military personnel.
More than 100 shadow fleet ships were targeted in the EU’s 18th sanctions package approved in mid-July. Only a few days later, the U.K. sanctioned 135 Russian oil tankers and two shipping companies linked to Russia’s shadow fleet.
Both the EU and the U.K. also agreed to lower the price cap imposed on Russian crude oil from $60 per barrel to $47.60.
