March 26 (UPI) -- Britain's armed forces and law enforcement have been authorized to board sanctioned vessels of Russia's so-called shadow fleet, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Wednesday, as London targets a key revenue source funding the Kremlin's war against Ukraine.
In an effort to hinder Russian President Vladimir Putin's ability to wage war, Britain, along with other European nations, has focused on his fleet of semi-clandestine tankers used to evade sanctions to ship and sell oil.
London has sanctioned at least 544 of these ships and the EU has blacklisted nearly 600.
Russia's shadow fleet is estimated to consist of anywhere from several hundred to more than 1,000 vessels, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. In September, this fleet transported a seasonal high of 3.7 million barrels of oil a day, real-time intelligence, analytics and data-tracking firm Kpler said.
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