18/12/2025 (Agence Europe) – As the High Representative of the Union announced on Monday (see EUROPE 13773/2), the EU Council imposed restrictive measures on an additional 41 vessels belonging to Russia’s shadow fleet of oil tankers on Thursday, 18 December. In its press release, the Council of the EU explained that this measure targets the non-European oil tankers that have been circumventing the oil price cap mechanism or that support the Russian energy sector as well as the vessels responsible for transporting military equipment for Russia or involved in the transport of stolen Ukrainian grain and cultural goods. Though these vessels mainly fly the Russian flag, they also hail from Panama, Hong Kong, Turkey, Sierra Leone, Comoros, Palau, Iran, Tonga, and Antigua and Barbuda. In total, nearly 600 vessels are subject to these measures. See the legal act: https://aeur.eu/f/k3i (CG)