UK government sanctions British citizen exposed by The Insider for supplying machine tools to Russia’s defense industry

Igor Fishelev, a Russian military contractor and the subject of The Insider’s 2023 investigation into Western equipment deliveries to Russia’s defense industry, has been sanctioned by the UK government in its latest package, announced on the four-year anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The official notice detailing the designations indicates that Fishelev’s son Oleg was also sanctioned.

The elder Fishelev, a British-Russian dual national, is listed as a founder of the company Unimatic, which supplies machine tools to Russian defense enterprises that produce tank guns, along with shell casings for field and tank artillery. Unimatic imported machine tools to Russia from Europe before being placed on U.S. and UK sanctions lists following The Insider’s investigation.

The official press release described the latest UK sanctions package as “the largest since the early months of the invasion in 2022.”

Westminster said the new restrictions are aimed at tightening control over sources of Russian energy revenue, as well as key suppliers of military equipment. In particular, the restrictions include measures against Transneft PJSC, which the press release says is responsible for transporting more than 80% of Russia’s oil exports.

The measures also targeted the so-called “shadow fleet,” which Moscow uses to transport crude oil to buyers around the world, allowing it to continue financing the invasion. Sanctions were imposed on 175 companies linked to Coral Energy, now called 2Rivers Group, which controls a significant share of “shadow fleet” ships. (The UK government imposed sanctions on Coral Energy itself in December 2024.)

The sanctions list also includes at least three companies linked to Russian state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom. These are: Rusatom Overseas, which promotes the company’s projects to build nuclear power plants abroad; Rosatom Energy International, which specializes in managing overseas projects for the construction and operation of nuclear power plants; and the consulting company REIN ENGINEERING.

A total of 297 entries were added to the sanctions list, including an additional 240 legal entities, seven people, and 50 ships.

Additionally, on Feb. 23, the European Union imposed sanctions on eight Russians — two judges, a prosecutor, an investigator, and the heads of three penal colonies and a pretrial detention center — who are responsible for human rights violations and repressive actions aimed at civil society and the democratic opposition. A 20th sanctions package remains under discussion in Brussels after being blocked by Hungary.