🇷🇺 Russia has been warned, the 🇬🇧 UK is not fooled and will not be pushed around, as shown by the government’s latest statement : « We see you, we know what you’re doing, and if the YANTAR travels south this week, we’re ready. »

📸 by @deborahaynes.bsky.social

For several years, the ship has been constantly monitored by 🇪🇺 European military forces. But in response to the recent provocations, the 🇬🇧 British Defence Secretary described the incident as a hostile act and announced an adjustment of the rules of engagement.

As a reminder, the YANTAR is regularly accused of deliberately sailing near 🇬🇧 British, 🇮🇪 Irish, and 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scottish coasts to conduct intelligence operations, as well as the surveillance or potential 🧨 sabotage of undersea communication cables in various regions of the world.

In short: Washington is increasing pressure on 🇷🇺 Russia in an attempt to end the war in 🇺🇦 Ukraine by targeting the main source of funding for its military.
As for the shadow fleet, it may soon be out of business…

Their immediate impact is clear: they are starving Putin’s war machine. ❌
The 🇺🇸 USA says it’s ready to further tighten these measures if necessary.

Several major buyers in 🇮🇳 India and 🇨🇳 China have announced they are suspending orders for end-of-year deliveries in order to avoid any violation of the sanctions, which could cut them off from the 💰 dollar-based financial system.

According to estimates, global sanctions have deprived 🇷🇺 Russia of at least 450 billion dollars that would have been used to finance the war effort between February 2022 and June 2025. 💸

❌ These sanctions target both organizations linked to liquefied natural ⛽️ gas and certain 🇷🇺 Russian cyber infrastructures. 💻

They complement the measures already taken by the 🇪🇺 EU, the 🇬🇧 UK, and the 🇺🇸 US.

These measures include bans on access to European ports, prohibitions on maritime services, and a gradual phase-out of Russian liquefied natural gas imports by 2027.

Once again, the EU is maintaining strong pressure on 🇷🇺 Russia’s shadow fleet.

The 🇪🇺 EU has recently sanctioned maritime registries that provide false registrations and has added 117 more ships to its blacklist, bringing the total number of targeted ships to 557.

Greece, whose shipowners control 20% of global shipping capacity and 61% of the 🇪🇺 EU fleet is under pressure to intensify monitoring of vessels involved in transporting Russian oil. ⛽️

However, she is not currently subject to any🇪🇺 European, 🇬🇧 UK or 🇺🇸 US sanctions, even though her recent “AIS problems” should draw the attention of international authorities.

As for the 🇵🇦 AMARILLO, she's returning from a stopover in 🇦🇪 Abu Dhabi in early September.

The 🇷🇺 ALEXANDER UDALOV appears to have been experiencing issues with her AIS since passing through the 🇬🇮 Strait of Gibraltar in early November ; a behavior commonly observed among ships linked to the shadow fleet or dark fleet.

After sailing along the 🇫🇷 French coast, the two ships are continuing their journey toward 🇪🇸 Spain and the Strait of 🇬🇮 Gibraltar.

❓Given the weather conditions, isn’t it reasonable to fear another marine pollution event caused by such an extremely outdated ship? ☠️

The STOIKIY, for her part, has been a corvette of the Russian Navy since 2014. 🪖

The YELNYA, built in 1968, belongs to the Baltic Fleet. She actively supports the 🇷🇺 Russian Navy’s military operations by providing logistical assistance during long-distance deployments.
She frequently operates in the Mediterranean Sea.

❓Has the 🇵🇦 LEO II found herself some new transshipment buddies?