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The Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) has launched a new section on Russia’s “shadow fleet” on the War & Sanctions portal, unveiling data on the activities of 238 vessels that help Russia and Iran export sanctioned oil.
That’s according to the intelligence agency’s press service, Ukrinform reports.
HUR said that fossil fuel exports are a primary source of funding for aggressive regimes, enabling activities like nuclear programs, advanced drone and missile development, and the financing of transnational crime and terrorism. In 2023, Russia earned $188 billion and Iran $53 billion from oil exports.
“Revenues from oil sales provide authoritarian actors with resources for implementing nuclear programs, developing modern drones and missiles, constant financial and material support for the terrorist activities of their regional proxies, and payment for the services of transnational crime networks,” HUR said.
Ukrainian intelligence said that Russia’s “shadow fleet” comprises over 1,000 outdated and poorly maintained tankers, representing approximately 17% of the global oil tanker fleet. These vessels operate under murky ownership structures, fly “convenient” flags, and rely on jurisdictions that shield their activities. With a total deadweight of more than 100 million tonnes, the fleet employs deceptive tactics to conceal cargo origins, creating environmental risks and endangering maritime safety.
Since February 2022, over 50 incidents involving these tankers have been reported worldwide, including in the Denmark Straits and Malaysian waters. These vessels often navigate narrow international shipping lanes without pilot services, threatening environmental and economic stability.
Amid its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia lost traditional European buyers of seaborne oil due to Western sanctions, including restrictions on its state-owned shipping giant, PJSC Sovcomflot. To counter these losses, Russia turned to new markets in Asia, primarily India and China, while expanding its “shadow fleet” with outdated tankers disconnected from G7+ nations. These vessels transport oil in violation of price caps and sanctions. Additionally, Russia relies on Iran’s “ghost armada” to support its exports. Since 2022, Russia has invested approximately $10 billion in building this shadow fleet.
HUR said that the War & Sanctions portal exposes the operations of the “shadow tanker fleet,” offering the world’s only data set with verified facts and evidence of its activities. The database currently lists 238 tankers facilitating the transport of sanctioned oil from Russia and Iran, primarily to Asian markets such as China and India.
These tankers violate the G7+ oil embargo by transporting Russian oil from ports in the Baltic and Black Seas to EU countries. They use methods such as raiding and ship-to-ship (STS) transfers in hubs across the Black and Mediterranean Seas near European waters. Additionally, they breach price caps and other restrictions on Russian oil.
Some vessels have been identified by Greenpeace as part of a shadow fleet that endangers ecosystems in the Baltic Sea by transporting Russian oil globally. Others, according to the American human rights group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), have been repurposed from carrying Iranian oil to now shipping Russian oil.
HUR emphasized that the uniqueness of the War & Sanctions portal lies in its ability to categorize tankers by key groups, including operators of the “shadow fleet” that emerged in 2022-2023. These operators rapidly assembled a fleet of outdated vessels, such as Aframax and Suezmax tankers, to facilitate the Kremlin’s oil transportation efforts.
The War & Sanctions portal is the only resource globally that details thousands of Western components found in Russian weapons, foreign industrial equipment used in missile and military production, and sea vessels involved in transporting weapons, earning petrodollars for aggressors, and stealing grain. It also documents individuals implicated in the deportation of Ukrainian children, the theft of cultural relics, and other acts fueling the war’s atrocities.
Read also: WSJ: Trump Supports Deploying European Troops to Ukraine to Oversee “Ceasefire”
