On October 1, the United Kingdom imposed new sanctions against Russia, adding 23 individuals and companies, as well as eight vessels, to its list. They include the Russian LNG tankers Alexey Kosygin and Konstantin Posiët, which entered service this year.
According to The Telegraph, citing the UK Foreign Office, Russia is seeking to create a “dangerous new shadow fleet” of tankers to evade sanctions and preserve revenue from gas exports.
“The Russian state is seeking to create a dangerous new ‘shadow fleet’ to evade sanctions and preserve revenue from gas exports. Today’s sanctions package targets several vessels acquired to support these efforts, including some that only entered service in July this year.”
UK Foreign Office
The British department added that the sanctions increase pressure on a sector that the Russian state considers critically important to its future revenues.
LNG tankers
London imposed restrictions, among others, on the Russian-flagged tankers Alexey Kosygin and Konstantin Posiët. These are next-generation Russian-built vessels for transporting liquefied natural gas, with a displacement of 127,555 tonnes.
According to the information provided, both tankers are capable of navigating through ice up to two metres thick. The report notes that such capabilities indicate they may be used as part of Russia’s expansion into the Arctic and the Far North region.
Russia has built at least two new LNG tankers measuring 984 feet, or around 300 metres, in length for transporting LNG through the Arctic. The Kremlin is also believed to have forcibly seized several additional vessels to bolster its “shadow fleet,” although the report provides no details about those ships.
A third tanker, Pyotr Stolypin, also entered service this year. Sanctions were extended to other tankers as well, although their names were not specified.
Vessel locations and sanctions against the fleet
According to the shipping resource MarineTraffic, Konstantin Posiët left Bechevinka Bay, a former Soviet submarine base in Kamchatka, on September 30. Alexey Kosygin is moored near Changtu Island in the East China Sea.
The report also states that Alexey Kosygin was delivered to its customer in December 2025 and entered service earlier this year.
Russia uses a “shadow fleet” to sell energy resources in circumvention of sanctions and direct the proceeds toward its war against Ukraine. According to the information provided, the European Union has imposed sanctions on approximately 670 vessels, which are prohibited from entering European ports. The United Kingdom, for its part, has imposed restrictions on around 600 tankers.
On September 25, reports emerged of a mass reflagging of “shadow fleet” vessels used to transport oil and gas under the Russian flag.
