Britain announces 31 new sanctions on Russia, but leaves an LNG loophole for Japan and South Korea

London, October 1, 2026 — The United Kingdom today announced 31 new sanctions on Russia, in a package targeting both the revenues fuelling Russia’s aggression and the perpetrators of crimes against Ukrainian civilians, as the Kyiv Independent reports.

The package includes 22 individuals involved in detentions, torture and running detention centres in occupied Ukrainian territory, as well as people helping to spread Russian disinformation narratives, among them several Georgian politicians. The list also includes the Russian energy company Novatek Gas and Power Asia, together with eight vessels identified as part of Russia’s “shadow fleet”.

The British Minister for Europe, Lord Wood of Anfield, said the measures strike simultaneously at the revenues sustaining Russia’s aggression and at the perpetrators of crimes against Ukrainian civilians.

At the same time, however, London extended the liquefied natural gas licences allowing the uninterrupted flow of LNG from Sakhalin-2 in Russia’s Far East to Japan and South Korea to continue. A government statement described the easing as “part of the United Kingdom’s work with international partners to support their move away from Russian energy”, without giving further details — the EU had granted Japan and South Korea similar exemptions, at their request, in July.

The package was welcomed by Ukraine’s sanctions chief, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, particularly the sanctions on two Arctic LNG tankers: “Russian Arctic gas is one of the Kremlin’s main future revenue sources and must remain frozen.”