France says 20th sanctions package will hit Russia's shadow fleet
Photo: French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot (Getty Images)
The new sanctions package against Russia being prepared by the European Union is intended to block Russia’s shadow fleet, which allows the country to generate revenue from oil, stated French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on January 29.
Barrot noted that Russia shows no willingness to pursue peace, as evidenced by its numerous strikes on Ukrainian civilian and energy infrastructure.
"That is why we continue our work to ensure that the 20th sanctions package against Russia is as powerful as the 18th and 19th," the minister explained.
According to Barrot, the new sanctions package should block Russia’s shadow fleet. France has already begun acting against Russian tankers, having detained one in the Mediterranean Sea.
In addition, Barrot said that one of the key topics at the foreign ministers’ meeting will be the situation in Ukraine. The Russian regime is acting "with the intention of provoking a real humanitarian crisis," and the EU will not allow the Kremlin to do so.
A Russian shadow fleet tanker named GRINCH was detained by the French Navy on January 22, 2026, in the western Mediterranean. The captain, an Indian national, was arrested. The tanker itself was also seized and run aground at the port of Marseille-Fos.
Currently, Russia’s so-called shadow fleet includes at least 900 vessels, mostly old tankers sailing under false flags, with questionable ownership and opaque registration.
Recently, a group of 14 EU countries warned Russian shadow fleet tankers operating in the Baltic and North Seas. Those that do not comply with certain requirements will be treated as stateless vessels.
