Britain has widened its sanctions against Russia’s oil industry, adding two more energy companies, Zarubezhneft and INK Capital, to its list. The package on October 8 also covers 12 shadow-fleet tankers, three cryptocurrency exchanges and two payment platforms. It totals 38 targets.
Among the newly listed vessels is the product tanker Dakar, which is 22 years old. The package also reaches 17 individuals and entities accused of supplying goods used in Russia’s military production.
Diverging paths on Russian oil
The move comes as London and Washington appear to be heading in different directions. Reuters reported on Wednesday that the Trump administration is considering easing restrictions on sanctioned tankers to bring down record-high freight rates. Any such step would require authorisation from the U.S. Treasury Department.
The U.S. Department of Energy said such relief would not help Russia transport oil. Freight rates have surged amid the Middle East conflict. The discussions follow Donald Trump’s temporary lifting of restrictions on Russian diesel.
Targeting the financial plumbing
Two of the targeted platforms processed transactions involving the Kremlin-backed A7 network. Britain said the network’s claimed volume of 90 billion dollars last year was roughly half of Russia’s annual military spending.
On Thursday, the British finance minister John Healey called for tougher international restrictions on maritime services that support Russia’s shadow fleet.
