Russia dodges sanctions by illegally transshipping oil near Greece, Cyprus – Ukraine’s intel

The Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (HUR) reported the information.

According to the War&Sanctions platform, since July 2024, an Aframax tanker with IMO number 9247443—operating without Western insurance—has been conducting illegal ship-to-ship oil transfers in open waters near the coasts of Greece and Cyprus.

"Such operations pose an environmental threat, enable the aggressor to conceal the origin of the oil, evade international oversight, and facilitate its delivery to third countries in violation of sanctions," HUR stated.

Additionally, HUR has published data on 159 oil tankers, most of which are part of Russia's so-called "shadow fleet," along with details on 55 of their captains. The War&Sanctions portal currently lists a total of 577 such vessels, with a combined deadweight exceeding 63 million metric tons.

Read also: Russian oil continues to flow through legal loopholes — Razom We Stand

The intelligence report emphasizes that Russia’s “shadow fleet” routinely engages in dangerous and deceptive logistics practices. These include disabling ship identification systems, falsifying navigation data, transferring oil at night without lights, sailing under flags of convenience, and registering vessels under fictitious companies.

Beyond sanctions evasion, the shadow fleet also serves as a tool of hybrid warfare.
 “There have been cases where such vessels participated in reconnaissance and sabotage operations — particularly in the Baltic Sea — monitoring naval infrastructure, submarine cables, and other critical facilities,” HUR added.

HUR underlined the urgent need to strengthen sanctions pressure on the Russian economy. Proposed measures include:

• Lowering the price cap on Russian oil and petroleum products;
• Banning the import of petroleum products made from Russian raw materials by G7 and EU countries;
• Prohibiting ship-to-ship (STS) operations within G7 and EU territorial waters;
• Increasing oversight and restrictions on maritime insurance for vessels using Western services;
• Imposing a complete ban on imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) and pipeline fuel.

“Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence continues to document the mechanisms the aggressor uses to evade sanctions and expose the network structure through which Russia finances its war against Ukraine,” the agency stated. “The War&Sanctions portal remains a vital tool for systematically uncovering and countering Russia’s ‘shadow’ maritime logistics at the international level.”

• EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas says that the EU, without the consent of the U.S., can independently lower the price cap on Russian oil by controlling the Baltic and Black Seas.