Russia‘s efforts to circumvent sanctions and sustain revenues from its gas exports have led to the construction of a new “shadow fleet” of vessels, according to the UK Foreign Office. The announcement came as part of a 31-designation package aimed at increasing economic pressure on Moscow.
The sanctioned vessels include three shadow fleet vessels, two vessels providing them with bunkering services, and three Russian-owned ice-class vessels, according to the UK Foreign Office. Among the sanctioned vessels are the Russian-flagged Aleksey Kosygin and Konstantin Posiet, which are among a new generation of LNG tankers designed to break through ice up to two meters thick.
Sanctioned Vessels
The Pyotr Stolypin, Portovyy, Chaivo, Avacha, Bebek-E, and Galle Energy are also included in the sanctions list. The Pyotr Stolypin entered service this year, while Bebek-E was built in 1979 and Galle Energy is a 75-foot crew transport vessel flagged in Sri Lanka.
Russia‘s attempts to move its oil past Western restrictions using what The Telegraph describes as “a secretive fleet of ageing tankers often with obscure ownership and insurance” have been met with sanctions. The EU has placed more than 670 vessels on its shadow fleet sanctions list, while the UK government has targeted nearly 600 tankers.
Oil Tankers to Gas Carriers
Moscow’s efforts to assemble a fleet of aging gas tankers ahead of the EU restrictions have also been sanctioned. Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service reported that seven of about 23 vessels had been bought through front companies between February 2024 and May 2025, allowing Russia to partially circumvent restrictions.
The package also targets Novatek Gas and Power Asia, a Singapore subsidiary of Russia‘s largest LNG producer, Novatek. Vladyslav Vlasiuk, the Ukrainian president’s commissioner for sanctions policy, described it as Novatek’s Singapore trading arm in a post on X.
Sanctions Spare LNG Bound for Japan and South Korea
The new package leaves a limited route for some Russian LNG to continue reaching Japan and South Korea. The UK said existing licensing arrangements have been extended to cover LNG, on a targeted and time-limited basis, to support the two countries’ energy security.
Torture and child indoctrination were also targeted in the 1 October package, which contained 31 designations in total. Eight people involved in the arbitrary detention, torture, and ill-treatment of Ukrainian civilians and seven people over the indoctrination and militarization of Ukrainian children were sanctioned, according to the UK government.
Torture and Child Indoctrination
The sanctions have already deprived Russia of nearly $500bn in funding for its war effort, according to the UK government. The package is part of a push to increase economic pressure on Moscow before winter, as Russia launched more than 3,100 jet-powered drones at Ukraine in September, beating the wartime record it had set in August.
Original Article: Sanctions keep catching Russia’s gas tankers, so Moscow is building new ones, UK says — Euromaidan Press