Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on June 17, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleThe UK has sanctioned two residents for exporting technology to Russia, targeting entities and ships involved in evading sanctions, as part of efforts to cut off funds for the Ukraine war.
KANANASKIS, Alberta (Reuters) -Britain announced new sanctions on people and groups it said were linked to Russian finance, energy and military operations on Tuesday, including two UK residents it accused of sending high-end electronics to Moscow for the war in Ukraine.
The two - a Ukrainian and a Polish national living in Britain - had operated "a shadowy network of shell companies" to funnel more than $120 million of technology to Russia, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office said.
Six entities had been added to the sanctions list, it added, as well as 20 ships from Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" - vessels that Western powers say are being used to help Russia evade price caps and other limits on its crude oil.
Britain imposed sanctions on two companies it accused of crewing and managing the vessels. The penalties would also target the Russian GUGI military agency responsible for underwater intelligence, a move that would protect Britain's subsea infrastructure from attack, Starmer's office added.
“These sanctions strike right at the heart of Putin’s war machine, choking off his ability to continue his barbaric war in Ukraine," Starmer said in a statement.
Russia's embassy in London did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Russia has previously called Western sanctions illegal and said they destabilise global energy markets.
Starmer is expected to talk about the sanctions later on Tuesday at the G7 summit in Canada.
He will say he wants "to work with all of our G7 partners to squeeze Russia's energy revenues and reduce the funds they are able to pour into their illegal war," according to advance excerpts of his remarks released by his office.
Britain has already imposed sanctions on more than 2,300 individuals, entities and ships since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Starmer's office said the electronics sent to Russia included many Common High Priority items - advanced components including microelectronics deemed by the U.S. and European Union as likely to be used for Russia's war in Ukraine.
The two people named in the British statement could not immediately be reached for comment.
(Reporting by Suzanne Plunkett; Writing by Sachin Ravikumar and Sam Tabahriti; additional reporting by Muvija M; editing by Sarah Young, William James and Andrew Heavens)
The UK announced new sanctions targeting individuals and groups linked to Russian finance, energy, and military operations, including two residents accused of sending technology to Russia.
The sanctions affect a Ukrainian and a Polish national living in Britain, who allegedly operated a network of shell companies to funnel over $120 million of technology to Russia.
The sanctions list now includes six entities and 20 ships from Russia's 'shadow fleet', which are believed to help Russia evade price caps imposed by Western powers.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that these sanctions aim to strike at the heart of Putin's war machine, reducing Russia's ability to fund its military operations in Ukraine.
Russia's embassy in London has not commented on the recent sanctions, but the country has previously described Western sanctions as illegal and harmful to global energy markets.
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