Russia assembles a shadow tanker fleet for liquefied natural gas before the European Union ban takes effect

The Financial Times reports that Russia is expanding a fleet of obscurely owned tankers capable of carrying liquefied natural gas, so that exports can continue when European Union sanctions tighten. The bloc's ban on Russian liquefied gas under long-term contracts takes effect on 1 January 2027, following a ban on short-term deals earlier this year. Independent trackers count roughly two dozen vessels in the fleet, and the United Kingdom has sanctioned four carriers bought quietly by Russian interests, all of them at least 19 years old. Analysts cited in that tracking work estimate that Novatek would need dozens more conventional carriers once the European market closes, because Asian buyers sit at the end of far longer voyages.

The physical fight over the same trade routes continued. RIA Novosti reported that Russian forces struck a dry cargo ship carrying military supplies at the port of Yuzhny, and TASS said the strikes covered ports and vessels used in the interests of Ukraine's armed forces. Ukraine has not commented on the claim, and there is no independent verification of the cargo.

In the other direction, Rodion Miroshnik, an ambassador-at-large at Russia's foreign ministry, said Ukrainian strikes on distribution substations have placed an exceptional load on Crimea's electricity system, with several districts affected at once. Neither side allows verification of grid damage claims.

Sanctions on a commodity that can be reflagged and transshipped tend to change routes and costs rather than volumes. Older ships, longer voyages and unclear ownership all raise the delivered cost of Russian gas and the risk carried by whoever insures it, while the cargoes still reach a buyer. Europe pays for replacement supply, Asian buyers receive a discount, and the intermediaries keep the difference.