🧵#Throwback on how UK expands #Russia sanctions targeting shadow fleet, military procurement & financial networks. The direction of travel is clear: the UK is widening enforcement from direct Russian actors to the broader ecosystem that enables sanctions evasion.
Every detail 👇
The UK has announced 70 new #Russia #sanctions designations, targeting four interconnected pillars of Russia’s war economy:
• Shadow fleet shipping
• Military procurement networks
• Financial circumvention channels
• Supporting infrastructure and intermediaries
The package covers 70 individuals and entities.
2/ The shadow fleet remains the primary focus.
The UK is intensifying pressure on vessels used to evade oil and energy #sanctions through opaque ownership structures, flags of convenience, and sanctions-evasion tactics.
The latest package adds new shipping-related designations and further targets entities supporting #Russia’s energy sector.
3/ A notable development: the UK says it has become the first G7 country to sanction vessels associated with #Russia’s Arctic LNG 2 project, a strategic LNG development intended to generate future export revenues for Moscow.
4/ Following these measures, the UK reports that it has now sanctioned more than 600 shadow-fleet and Russian LNG vessels in total, reflecting a sustained strategy of targeting maritime #sanctions evasion. #Russia
5/ The package also expands pressure on military procurement networks.
The UK designated individuals and entities involved in acquiring dual-use technologies and other goods that can support #Russia’s defence-industrial base.
6/ One specific target is a procurement network linked to #Russia’s military intelligence service, the GRU, reportedly centered around a company called LLC Neptune Co Ltd.
The #sanctions aim to disrupt acquisition channels for technologies and components supporting military operations.
7/ The UK is also continuing its campaign against financial networks used by #Russia to circumvent #sanctions.
These measures fit into a broader 2026 strategy that has increasingly focused on illicit finance, alternative payment systems, and structures used to move money outside traditional Western-controlled channels.
8/ Another theme is third-country facilitation.
Recent UK actions have increasingly targeted companies and intermediaries outside #Russia that allegedly help supply military-related goods or support sanctions-evasion schemes.
9/ The package also signals a shift from merely listing vessels to more active maritime enforcement.
Just days before the announcement, UK authorities seized the tanker Smyrtos in the English Channel, illustrating a more operational approach to shadow-fleet enforcement. #Russia
🧵Dear #OSINT community, in today's thread, let me introduce the #Russian asset of the day: @NRJhitmusiconly, a French media brand playing pop music… and promoting Russian military recruitment in occupied Ukraine 🇫🇷 🎶
1/ What happens when a global music brand ends up broadcasting war propaganda?
The #French broadcasting group #NRJ allows its brand to be used for #Russian military propaganda in occupied #Ukraine—while still operating freely in the rest of the country🎙️📻
2/ In January 2024, #NRJ #Russia began broadcasting in occupied #Donetsk, playing @edsheeran, @ladygaga… and military enlistment ads urging locals to join the Russian army 🎶🇷🇺