EU adds 41 more vessels of Russia's shadow fleet to sanctions list
The European Union has stepped up sanctions pressure on Russia in response to its aggressive war against Ukraine. On 18 December, the EU Council decided to add 41 more vessels of the so-called Russian shadow fleet to the sanctions list.
After this decision, the total number of sanctioned vessels approached 600. These are mainly oil tankers, which help Russia to circumvent price restrictions on oil exports and maintain energy revenues.
All the vessels on the list are banned from entering EU ports and from using any services of the EU maritime and port infrastructure. Some of these vessels are also involved in the transport of military equipment, stolen Ukrainian grain and cultural property.
The European Council emphasised that the EU is ready to further increase pressure on the entire chain of Russia's shadow fleet and to impose additional sanctions if necessary.
The decision was made on the eve of the EU summit in Brussels on 18 December, where leaders are also discussing the possibility of using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine.
