Sanctions on Russia’s oil exports could cost Moscow $30 billion annually, Zelenskyy says

Ukraine announced on January 13 that coordinated international sanctions are significantly curbing Russia’s ability to finance its war, with restrictions on maritime oil exports expected to reduce Moscow’s annual revenue by at least $30 billion.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy highlighted the impact of the measures, noting that a coordinated effort with multiple countries has halted at least 20 per cent of Russia’s “shadow fleet” tankers, Caliber.Az reports via his post on X. 

In response, Russia is reportedly seeking to expand its tanker fleet, prompting Ukraine to push for all new vessels to be added to international sanctions lists.

The First Deputy Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, Oleh Luhovskyi, delivered a report. He informed me about the behind-the-scenes approaches of partners to communication with the Russian side and about the real attitude toward Ukraine and negotiations at this… pic.twitter.com/HozplEeF9U

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 13, 2026

“The task of everyone in the world who wants this war to end must be to constrain Russia’s ability to adapt to the pressure imposed in response to this war,” Zelenskyy wrote on X. 

He emphassed that effective sanctions on tanker crews, captains, insurers, and the broader shadow fleet infrastructure are crucial to limiting Russia’s war financing.

Zelenskyy also noted that Ukraine is sharing intelligence with partners on new schemes used by Chinese companies to help Russia circumvent financial sanctions. He called such coordinated pressure “the key fertilizer for driving the diplomatic process” and expressed gratitude to international partners and Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service for their efforts.

By Sabina Mammadli