One in five tankers out of action: sanctions have crippled Russia’s shadow fleet
13 January 16:17
President Volodymyr Zelensky listened to a report by Oleg Lugovsky, First Deputy Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine
This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to his Telegram channel.
The report focused on the partners’ non-public approaches to communication with the Russian side, as well as the real attitude towards Ukraine and negotiations at this stage.
Zelensky emphasized that all of Ukraine’s positions should be based on real prospects, not formal statements.
Russia is trying to expand its shadow tanker fleet
The head of state instructed the Foreign Intelligence Service to provide partners with new information about Russia’s attempts to expand its shadow tanker fleet. According to him, thanks to coordinated pressure from Ukraine and a number of other countries, at least 20% of this fleet has already been shut down.
At the same time, Moscow is trying to compensate for its losses by bringing in new vessels. Zelensky emphasized that all of them must be included in the sanctions lists.
Sanctions against crews and infrastructure
The president said that Ukraine will continue to apply sanctions not only to ships, but also to captains, crews, insurers, and the entire infrastructure of Russia’s shadow fleet.
According to Zelensky, the current restrictions on Russian oil exports by sea are expected to reduce Russia’s annual revenue by at least $30 billion. Further tightening of sanctions will only increase these losses and reduce funding for the war.
In addition, Ukraine will inform its partners about new schemes used by Chinese companies to help Russia circumvent financial sanctions.
Detention of “shadow fleet” tankers
Last week, the United States detained two tankers linked to Russia. In particular, the tanker Marinera, sailing under the Russian flag, was stopped in the waters between Iceland and the British Isles. The operation was carried out by the US Coast Guard, which, according to available information, had been tracking the vessel for several weeks.
US Vice President Jay D. Vance said that the seized tanker was only disguised as Russian in an attempt to circumvent sanctions restrictions. According to media reports, the oil tanker Marinera belongs to the Russian company Burevestmarin, whose director and sole owner is Ilya Bugay, an entrepreneur from Russian-occupied Crimea.
In addition, the US detained another tanker from Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” in the Caribbean Sea, the Sophia. Against the backdrop of these events, Russia began talking about “piracy” and “violations of international law.”
At the same time, one of the State Duma deputies publicly called for a forceful response and strikes against American ships.
