By Al-Yurae Correspondent in London- Britain has imposed sweeping new sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil producers Lukoil and Rosneft and dozens of tankers linked to Moscow’s “shadow fleet,” in one of its most forceful attempts yet to disrupt the Kremlin’s wartime finances and pressure nations still trading in Russian crude.
The measures, announced Wednesday as part of a broader package of 90 new sanctions, mark a new phase in London’s effort to choke off energy revenues that remain a critical funding stream for Russia’s military operations in Ukraine.
“Now is the moment to increase the pressure on Russia’s economy,” Foregin Secretary Yvette Cooper said, as Foreign Office officials detailed steps targeting 44 tankers used to bypass Western restrictions. “We are determined that Putin’s aggression continues to come at a clear and escalating cost.”
A Hit at Russia’s Energy Core
The UK government said Rosneft—responsible for around 6 percent of global oil production and nearly half of all Russian output and its privately held counterpart Lukoil export a combined 3.1 million barrels of oil each day. Both firms are being hit with comprehensive trade bans preventing UK individuals and companies from doing business with them.
Britain’s finance minister Rachel Reeves, speaking during a visit to the United States, said the move was designed not only to strike at Russia’s energy giants but also to cut through the networks enabling them to keep exporting crude.
“We are introducing targeted sanctions against the two biggest oil companies in Russia, Lukoil and Rosneft,” Reeves told reporters. “At the same time, we are ramping up pressure on companies in third countries, including India and China, that continue to facilitate getting Russian oil onto global markets.”
The sanctions blacklist also includes seven liquefied natural gas tankers and the Beihai LNG terminal in northern China, which has been importing cargoes from the Russian Arctic LNG2 project already under Western sanctions.
Extending the Pressure Eastward
Among the entities directly affected is Nayara Energy, a major refinery based in Mumbai and part-owned by Rosneft. The plant—which has been a key processing hub for Russian oil reaching South Asia—has already faced European Union penalties and is now struggling to maintain operations amid tightening restrictions. Nayara condemned the EU’s measures earlier this year but did not immediately comment on the latest British action.
By expanding its sanctions net toward companies operating outside Russia, the UK is signaling growing frustration that major Asian economies have filled the gap left by Western buyers, undermining efforts to isolate Moscow from global energy markets.
Reeves said London would not hesitate to pursue “secondary measures” against firms diverting Russian crude or providing critical logistical support to the Kremlin-linked petroleum trade. “There is no place for Russia in global markets,” she said. “We will do whatever is necessary to stop Moscow from funding its war against Ukraine.”
Strangling the Shadow Fleet
The crackdown also targets the sprawling “shadow fleet” a network of aging, lightly regulated tankers used to move Russian oil through countries and operators not bound by Western law. Many of these vessels operate under obscure ownership structures, flagging in states like Liberia or Panama to conceal their true controllers.
Traders familiar with Russian oil sales said the UK restrictions would further reduce the number of ships and insurance options available to Moscow, in particular where some cargoes were still being transported or insured through British-based entities. In practice, that could raise costs, slow deliveries, and deepen disruptions in the global shipping market.
However, the move may also accelerate Russia’s reliance on non-Western services. Estimates by Western analysts suggest the shadow fleet now numbers over 1,500 vessels—enough to continue carrying significant volumes of crude to Asia, even as maritime risks rise.
Several Chinese and Indian ports have recently refused to unload oil from unidentified or sanction-hit tankers, prompting costly diversions and heightening uncertainties for buyers.
Moscow’s Defiance and Global Ripples
The Russian embassy in London denounced the new measures as counterproductive, warning they would “backfire” by destabilizing global energy markets and driving up prices for British consumers.
“Contrary to the loud assurances of British leaders, these restrictions will not have any impact on Russian foreign policy,” it said in a statement.
Energy analysts, however, say the coordinated pressure from Britain, the United States, and the European Union is increasingly isolating Russia’s conventional oil trade, forcing it to depend on riskier and more opaque channels. The latest UK sanctions, they note, mark a significant escalation in the campaign to sever financial linkages that still allow the Kremlin to bankroll its war.
As the conflict nears its third year, Western governments appear determined that every barrel of oil Moscow sells—and every ship carrying it—comes with an ever-heavier price.
