LONDON, June 16 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news:
* UK announces70new sanctions targeting Russia'sdecrepitshadow fleet,military procurement supplychainsandillicit finance networks usedto circumvent sanctions.
* UKramps up pressure on RussiaduringG7 Summitfollowinglatest abhorrent attacksagainst Ukraine, killinginnocent civilians and destroying holy sites.
* The UK has now sanctionedalmost500individuals,entities andshipsunder its Russia sanctions regime in2026alone, as allied support for Ukraine tops the G7 agenda.
The UK hasunleashed amajor new sanctions packagechoking offRussia's war effortacross multiple fronts.
New action directly targetsRussia'sillicitshadow fleetandfinancenetworksused to circumventWesternsanctionsandsupportmilitaryprocurement.
Today's sanctions further crack down onRussia's decrepit andageing shadowfleet,targetingmore than20oil tankerswith new and enhanced powersintroduced last month.The UK isalsotightening the netaround those whoare suspected ofenablingPutin's illicit oil trade,furthersanctioning shipinsurersand other shipping services.
The UKisthefirst G7 countrytosanction severalLiquefied Natural Gas(LNG)vessels recentlyacquiredby Russia at great expenseto serviceRussia's sanctioned Arctic LNG 2project,responsible forexporting millions of tonnes of LNG, in an attempt to source dirty revenue for the Kremlin.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:
These sanctions target the vessels, the money and the actors propping up Russia's war economy, and in turn, threatening European security.
Working with our G7 allies, we will continue to increase the pressure in Putin and his circle of collaborators until Russia's war machine is brought to a halt and peace returns to our continent.
ForeignSecretary Yvette Cooper said:
As the Kremlin resorts to ever more shady tactics to sustain its war, from its ageing shadow fleet to covert finance networks, the UKremainsone step ahead in shutting them down.
These sanctions strike at the heart of these murky efforts, to starve Putin's war machine and defend Britain's security.
Shoulder to shoulder with our G7 partners, the UK will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.
Thosewho aresuspectedofenablingthesale of tankersto Russia's shadowfleetwillbe exposed andface action.UKsanctions aregreatly limitingRussia's ability to trade oil -in2025 the Arctic LNG-2 terminal only exported 1.3 million tons of LNG despite having capacity to export over 13.5 million tons a year.
To date, the UK has now sanctioned more than600shadow fleet and Russian LNG vessels.
New measures also expose andtarget aRussianmilitaryintelligence(GRU)networkcentredaroundGRUfront companyLLCNeptune Co Ltd ('Neptune').
Neptune is involved in covertlyprocuringwestern technology for Russia's military.
Today's actionstargetthree companies and10GRUofficerssuspectedofacquiringmilitary technologythat Russia desperately needs to sustain its military aggression in Ukraine.
Elsewhere, sanctions also hit third country suppliersof critical military equipment to Russiain China,Thailandand Türkiye.Several organisations helping Russia illegally move money, bypassing western sanctions,are also targetedincluding one entity in Nigeria supportingtheillicit finance network A7's sanctions evasions scheme.
Gathering in Évian-les-Bains, G7 Leaders willdiscuss their joint determination to tacklethesinglelargest threat to global security-Russia's illegal war in Ukraine.
Asthe UKincreases pressure on Russia's war economy, today's actiondemonstratesan unshakeable determination todefend securityin Ukraine, Europe and at home.
Notes to editors:
* UK cracks down on backdoor Russian sanctions evasion with tough new measures
* Intotal, the UK has committed up to £21.8 billion for Ukraine:
* £13 billion in militarysupport (including our £2.26 billion ERA Loan contribution)
* £5.3 billion in non-military support (including bilateralassistanceand fiscal guarantees)
* £3.5 billion cover limit in export finance (via UK Export Finance for reconstruction and defence projects)
*
The UK is a leading bilateral donor, having committed £1.2billion in bilateral support, including over £577million in humanitarianassistanceto Ukraine and the region since the start of the full-scale invasion. We are committing up to £283million in bilateral assistance for 2025 to 2026, to fund humanitarian, energy, stabilisation, reform,recoveryand reconstruction programmes.
* View the full UK sanctions list
* View the full list of Russia sanctions designations, 16 June 2026
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
