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Russia
US Sanctions Shuttered Russian Lukoil’s Grain Trading ‘Start-Up’ in Dubai
Unable to sell enough petroleum products Russian oil giant Lukoil tried to set up a grain trading company in Dubai, but stiff sanctions instituted by Washington stopped it before it could start.
Feb. 10, 2026
Georgia
EU Moves to Sanction Ports in Georgia and Indonesia Over Russian Oil Trade
The EU has proposed sanctioning ports in Georgia and Indonesia over their role in handling Russian oil, according to a document seen by Reuters.
Feb. 9, 2026
US
US Intercepts Sanctioned Tanker Linked to Russia’s Shadow Fleet
The Aquila II tanker, previously flagged by Ukraine’s intelligence as part of Russia’s shadow oil fleet, was intercepted by US forces while operating in defiance of US sanctions.
Feb. 9, 2026
Russia
Sanctioned ‘Shadow’ Tanker Busts Sanctions via Georgian Waters
The ship, which was previously blacklisted by Ukraine, is a textbook example of the aging, high-risk vessels Moscow uses to bypass Western energy embargos.
Feb. 6, 2026
Europe
Import Ban: Can the EU Get by Without Russian Gas?
Europe’s commentators discuss the options for gas supplies to the bloc.
Feb. 3, 2026
Russia
Russia Says India Has Not Said it Will Halt Oil Purchases
Trump said he had struck a deal to reduce tariffs on India and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to stop buying Russian oil over the war in Ukraine.
Feb. 3, 2026
US
OPINION: Follow the Oil
It seems Russia has been trying to lure Trump to its side with sweetheart oil deals. But if the US corners the oil market, that strategy will no longer work.
Feb. 3, 2026
Russia
EU Weighs Replacing Russian Oil Price Cap With Services Ban, Bloomberg Reports
President Volodymyr Zelensky last week told journalists that Europe is moving too slowly on sanctions and that its delays are putting the continent at risk.
Jan. 30, 2026
Russia
Europe Targets Putin’s ‘Ghost Tankers’ in Oil Crackdown
Fourteen countries bordering the Baltic and North seas, along with Iceland, said they will actively obstruct tankers that break sanctions or violate international maritime rules.
Jan. 28, 2026
Ruble
Russia’s Largest Private Oil Company Demands a Bailout
Lukoil is petitioning the Russian government to change its tax rules because the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine has sent global prices per barrel plummeting. Foreign buyers have been sniffing for a deal.
Jan. 27, 2026
Russia
What Is Russia’s ‘Shadow Fleet’ and How Does It Work?
After France intercepted a suspected sanctions-busting tanker, attention has turned to Russia’s “shadow fleet” and how it keeps oil exports flowing despite Western pressure.
Jan. 26, 2026
Russia
Suspected Russian ‘Shadow Fleet’ Tanker Bound for French Port
French forces, with the help of allies, boarded the oil tanker called “Grinch” on Thursday between Spain and Morocco, after it started its journey from the Russian Arctic port of Murmansk.
Jan. 23, 2026
Russia
France Seizes Suspected Russian Shadow Oil Tanker in Mediterranean
French President Emmanuel Macron said the country’s navy boarded an oil tanker suspected of ferrying Russian oil on Thursday as Kyiv calls for more actions to curb Moscow’s oil revenue.
Jan. 22, 2026
US
US Seizes New Sanctioned Tanker in Caribbean
The US military’s Southern Command said it seized the vessel without incident, with other reports noting it had previously ferried sanctioned Russian oil.
Jan. 21, 2026
US
Kremlin: Russian Sailors Not Freed Despite US Assurances
Russia’s top diplomat Sergey Lavrov said two of the Russian sailors onboard an oil tanker captured by the US have not been released despite earlier US pledges.
Jan. 20, 2026
Russia
Russia’s Gazprom Agrees to Sell Majority Stake in Serbia’s Oil Industry to Hungary’s MOL
The deal to acquire Russia’s majority holding in NIS, which owns Serbia’s sole refinery, is awaiting approval from the US sanctions office. The UAE is in talks to become a minority stakeholder.
Jan. 19, 2026