UK exempts Kazakh oil transit via Russia's Transneft from sanctions until 2028

ASTANA, Kazakhstan, March 20. The UK has
excluded the transit of Kazakh oil via Russia’s Transneft from its
sanctions regime until March 18, 2028, Trend reports via the UK government.

This exemption is stipulated in a general license issued by the
UK’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), which
becomes effective on March 19, 2026, and remains valid until March
18, 2028.

The license authorizes activities including payments and
transactions related to the supply, purchase, transportation, or
delivery of Kazakh oil, provided that the oil is not owned by any
individual or entity linked to Russia, and that it is loaded in,
departing from, or transiting through Russian territory.

This decision facilitates the continued transit of Kazakh crude
through Russian infrastructure operated by Transneft, without
violating UK sanctions.

On February 24, 2026, the UK imposed a comprehensive sanctions
package against Russia, which included adding Transneft to its
sanctions list.