UK targets Russian oil, tankers and finance in 38-measure sanctions package
The package covers two oil companies, 12 tankers, crypto exchanges, payment platforms and suppliers linked to Russia's military-industrial base.
A new UK sanctions package against Russia took effect on 8 October 2026, targeting oil, the so-called shadow fleet, financial networks and suppliers of material used in military production.
The government's news release describes the package as 38 new designations. The UK Sanctions List records the technical breakdown as 26 designations, 12 ship specifications and two variations. The distinction matters because the political headline total does not consist solely of people or legal entities.
Oil companies and 12 tankers
The package includes Russian oil companies Zarubezhneft and INK Capital, as well as another 12 tankers that London links to the transport of Russian oil and sanctions evasion.
The UK government says the total number of shadow-fleet tankers it has sanctioned now exceeds 600. It also says companies targeted under the British regime account for more than 90% of Russian oil-production capacity. That is a UK government assessment, not an independent measure of the package's actual effect on output.
Crypto and payment platforms
The new listings cover three crypto exchanges and two payment platforms. The Foreign Office says it suspects they are being used to circumvent financial sanctions and that two facilitated transactions involving the A7 network.
This wording reports the official British assessment. It is not a court ruling or an independent finding about every transaction.
Material for missiles and drones
A further 17 people and entities are linked by the British announcement to supplies of machine tools, electronics and materials considered important for the production of ballistic missiles and drones.
Reuters confirmed the main elements of the package and reported that Russia's embassy in London had not immediately responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.
What changes legally
The entries were added to the UK sanctions regime, triggering the prohibitions and duties set by British law for people, companies and transactions within its jurisdiction.
The measure does not automatically mean that the same people, companies or ships were added on the same day to European Union or United States lists. Each jurisdiction's official list must be checked separately.
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