Ukraine announced the deployment of a widespread embargo campaign directly targeting Russia's secret "black gold" transportation system.
In a national address on the evening of February 21, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the Kiev government had officially put 225 sailors participating in operating Russian oil tankers on the blacklist.
Mr. Zelensky emphasized Kiev's commitment to continuously imposing and globalizing sanctions against any individuals or organizations that are helping the Russian economy make profits to maintain the huge military apparatus.
In addition to unilateral decisions, Mr. Zelensky also noted that proposals from Kiev often play a fundamental role in the embargo policy of allied countries. The Ukrainian President especially urged the European Union (EU) to increase maximum pressure on Moscow in the upcoming sanctions package.
We are extremely hopeful that the European Union's next sanctions package will take into account the necessary factors to create real pressure on Russia, thereby thoroughly limiting their ability to engage in conflict," Zelensky said.
The head of the Kiev government called on European leaders to issue an absolute ban on maritime services provided to the oil tanker fleet used by Moscow. According to his argument, such a tough economic move could completely force the Kremlin to shift from military confrontation to substantive diplomacy.
The European Commission is urgently drafting the 20th sanctions package against Russia. This document is still in the process of intense internal discussion and awaiting consensus approval from EU member states.
The focus of the new proposal includes a comprehensive ban on maritime services related to Russia's crude oil exports. Notably, this sanctions package is expected to be finalized on February 24, right at the time marking the 4th anniversary of the outbreak of the full-scale conflict.
In recent months, Western governments have continuously strengthened surveillance of Russia's oil tanker fleet. This is a complex network of old oil tankers, regularly operating under shady ownership structures or flying fake flags of other countries to help Moscow circumvent strict energy embargoes.
To cope with this situation, in January, a series of European countries such as France, Germany and Italy began to deploy strong interception measures against oil tankers linked to Russia operating or passing through their territorial waters.
