UK imposes sanctions targeting ships breaching Russian oil restrictions

Britain on Thursday imposed its first sanctions targeting vessels in Russian President Vladimir Putin's "shadow fleet" that it said was used to circumvent Western sanctions and continue trade in Russian oil.

"Today's action includes the UK's first sanctions targeting vessels in Putin's shadow fleet, used by Russia to circumvent UK and G7 sanctions and continue unfettered trade in Russian oil," the government statement said.

The action, part of 50 new sanctions and co-ordinated with G7 partners, also targets suppliers of munitions, machine tools, microelectronics, and logistics to Russia's military, including entities based in China, Israel, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey, the government said.

"Today we are once more ramping up economic pressure through sanctions to bear down on Russia's ability to fund its war machine," Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is at the G7 leaders' meeting in Italy, said in the statement.

"Putin must lose, and cutting off his ability to fund a prolonged conflict is absolutely vital."