Ukraine sanctions nearly 700 Russian shadow fleet tankers, Zelenskyy says
Illustrative photo: 656 Russian maritime vessels placed under sanctions (Getty Images)
Ukraine has imposed sanctions on nearly 700 tankers from Russia's shadow fleet, which transports sanctioned Russian oil while bypassing international restrictions, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Office of the President of Ukraine, and the corresponding decree.
Zelenskyy said that almost 700 enemy maritime vessels, which help Moscow finance the war, are included in the sanctions. This represents the majority of Russia's fleet that transports oil and other energy resources.
"It is the largest sanctions package specifically targeting tankers and other vessels that serve the aggression. The package includes vessels sailing not only under the Russian flag but also under the flags of other states, in particular spanning more than 50 jurisdictions," the president said.
Zelenskyy added that Ukraine will compel its partners to block every ship, every ship-owning company, and the entire infrastructure of Russian oil exports.
"We support the concept of a complete ban on the provision of maritime services to vessels involved in exporting Russian energy resources. Pressure on Russia and diplomacy aimed at ending the war must go hand in hand to achieve the necessary result," he emphasized.
According to the Office of the President of Ukraine, sanctions have been applied to 656 maritime vessels that are part of Russia's shadow fleet. This is the largest sanctions package ever targeting Russian tankers and other vessels.
Ukraine also monitored the Black, Red, and Baltic Seas to identify every vessel used by Russia. Ship owners reportedly instructed crews to turn off Automatic Identification Systems and employed "gray schemes" to conceal ownership and cargo origins.
"The sanctioned vessels sailed under the flags of more than 50 countries, most frequently those of The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Panama, and Cameroon. Ukraine will provide all relevant information to these states and will work with them to halt the issuance of licenses," the statement said.
Russia's shadow fleet
Ukrainian intelligence reports that currently, every sixth tanker in the world belongs to Russia's shadow fleet, making up about 17% of all operational tankers worldwide. Since the start of the year, analysts have tracked 940 vessels as part of Russia's shadow fleet.
Beyond evading sanctions, these tankers are also used as platforms for hybrid attacks on Europe, a version confirmed by Ukrainian sources.
Efforts to counter the shadow fleet are taking place on multiple fronts. The European Commission may add certain shadow fleet tankers to separate sanctions lists if it cannot adopt the 20th sanctions package before the New Year.
Meanwhile, Ukraine, with the approval of the Trump administration, is imposing "kinetic sanctions" on Russian tankers. In recent days, maritime drones disabled three Russian shadow fleet tankers in the Black Sea.
