LONDON - Britain said on Thursday it had sanctioned five new ships and two other shipping entities under its Russian sanctions regime.

Earlier this month Britain slapped sanctions on 10 further ships in Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" of vessels which it says use illicit practices to avoid Western restrictions on Russian oil.

Russia rejects Western pressure to limit its oil exports, and in the past year there has been a growth in the number of tankers transporting cargoes that are not regulated or insured by conventional Western providers.

  - Reuters