UK Delivers Major Blow to Putin’s War Machine with New Russian Oil Sanctions

The UK has imposed its toughest sanctions yet on Russia, directly targeting its energy sector and the global enablers sustaining President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.

Announced jointly by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and HM Treasury, the sweeping package of 90 new sanctions cuts deep into the Kremlin’s oil revenues, striking at major producers Rosneft and Lukoil – which together export more than three million barrels per day. Rosneft alone accounts for almost half of Russia’s total oil output and six per cent of global production.

The measures, introduced in Parliament by Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, coincide with Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ visit to Washington DC for the IMF Annual Meetings, where she is urging G7 counterparts to intensify collective pressure on Moscow. The coordinated action comes as Russia opens its annual Energy Week in Moscow – an event now overshadowed by deepening international isolation.

The new sanctions target not only Russian oil giants but also the global infrastructure underpinning their trade. Four Chinese oil terminals, 44 tankers in the so-called “shadow fleet”, India’s Nayara Energy Limited, and seven specialised LNG tankers are now subject to UK restrictions. The Chinese Beihai LNG terminal – which imports gas from the heavily sanctioned Arctic LNG2 project – has also been blacklisted.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper stated:

At this critical moment for Ukraine, Europe is stepping up. Together, the UK and our allies are piling the pressure on Putin – going after his oil, gas, and shadow fleet – and we will not relent until he abandons his failed war of conquest. Today’s action strengthens European and British security alike.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves added:

We are sending a clear signal: Russian oil is off the market. The UK will continue to strip away the funding that fuels Putin’s war machine and hold accountable all those enabling his illegal invasion of Ukraine.

In a move designed to further erode Kremlin income, the UK will also ban imports of oil products refined in third countries using Russian-origin crude. The new measures build on January’s sanctions against Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas, effectively placing Russia’s entire major oil sector under UK restriction.

The crackdown extends beyond energy, tightening controls on businesses across Thailand, Singapore, Turkey, and China that supply components for Russian drones and missiles used to attack Ukrainian civilians.

According to the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation’s latest Annual Review, the UK has frozen £28.7 billion in Russian assets since February 2022, underscoring Britain’s central role in the global effort to choke off funding for the invasion.

By removing Russian oil from international markets, strengthening European energy security, and cutting the flow of war finance to Moscow, the UK’s latest sanctions represent a decisive escalation in economic pressure against Putin’s regime.

Read the press release here.