Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Mikhailo Podolyak has called for further sanctions against Russia’s shadow fleet, the Russian Atomic Energy Agency (ROSATOM), and the Russian space agency ROSCOSMOS in a social media post on Friday.
“Regarding sanctions: this means depriving [Russia] of oil export revenues by sanctioning the shadow fleet and all the insurance and logistics businesses that deal with it,” Podolyak wrote on Telegram.
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Russia’s shadow fleet is a collection of old oil tankers with opaque ownership structures that are used by Moscow to avoid sanctions against its oil and gas industry, according to Reuters.
ROSATOM has played a key role in Moscow’s war effort by administering the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, the largest such plant in Europe, according to a recent report by Belona.
In addition to exports, he named firms that help Russia import critical components for its arms industry.
“This means fighting sanctions evasion centers and intermediaries in the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Middle East. This means expanding the sanctions regime to include Rosatom and Roscosmos. As a final step, comprehensive sanctions against the Central Bank and the entire banking system of the Russian Federation,” Podolyak said.
His announcement came after Zelensky unveiled further sanctions against 74 businesses and entities in Russia, Iran, Hong Kong, and Uzbekistan last week.
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The European Union also upped its pressure on Russia by passing its 17th package of sanctions against Russia on Wednesday, including 50% tariffs on Russian and Belarusian fertilizers and agricultural imports.
Last year, Europe imported 6.2 million tons of Russian fertilizer worth over €2.2 billion ($2.4 billion), according to Reuters.
These moves come as French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot called for “devastating sanctions” to “suffocate” the Russian economy on Wednesday.
The British have recently moved to gain greater control over frozen Russian assets to provide financial support to Ukraine. The funds are controlled in accounts in Belgium, and Europeans fear that Hungary could vote to block further use of these assets for Ukraine.
While US President Donald Trump has been inconsistent in his position on issuing further sanctions towards Russia, pressure has also built in the US Congress to issue additional sanctions on Russia if peace talks in Turkey fail.
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) was in Turkey yesterday to lobby European lawmakers on his bill to introduce increased sanctions on Russia and impose up to 500% tariffs on countries that buy Russia’s oil.
Graham introduced Senate Bill 1241, “Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025,” on April 1 of this year, and the bill currently has 73 cosponsors in the Senate, according to the official website of Congress.
Graham says he currently has enough support to pass the bill, but fiscal hawks in Congress today refused to advance Trump’s spending bill, according to The Hill.
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