Oct. 18 Is Putin's Test. Use Every Tool in the New Sanctions Law Against His Oil Money
Most provisions of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act take effect Oct. 18, and senators from both parties want the shadow fleet hit first. In our view, America should match its allies tanker for tanker and squeeze the middlemen funding Putin's war.
By Clara Hughes
ALTAS WORLD NEWS OPINION | By Clara Hughes, Chief Opinion Editor | October 9, 2026 | 6-min read Vladimir Putin turned 74 on Wednesday, and Russia marked the day with a massive missile and drone barrage on Kyiv and a dozen other regions of Ukraine. In the northern town of Pryluky, a missile struck a residential building. By Thursday the death toll had risen to 22, including five children, AP reports [4]. Nine days from now, on Oct. 18, most of a sweeping new Russia sanctions law takes effect [1]. President Trump signed it on Sept. 18 [2]. In our view, the answer to Wednesday's barrage is simple: use every tool in that law, starting with the tanker fleet that carries Putin's oil money. Key Takeaways The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act "authorizes and expands statutory sanctions, tariffs, and prohibitions on Russia and extends existing sanctions on Iran," the White House says [2]. "The majority of the Act's provisions go into effect on October 18th," Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Roger Wicker wrote to Secretaries Rubio and Bessent on Oct. 6 [1]. The EU and U.K. have designated more than 600 "shadow fleet" tankers. The United States has designated 216, "the majority in early 2025," the senators wrote [1]. Here is why it matters. Oil is the Kremlin's lifeline, and the shadow fleet is how Russia moves oil around Western sanctions. "Every day that