GUR: Russia is illegally transshipping oil near Greece in circumvention of sanctions

Since July 2024, the Aframax tanker IMO 9247443, without western insurance, has been illegally transshipping oil between tankers in the open sea near the coast of Greece and Cyprus.

This was reported by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

Such operations pose an environmental threat, allow the aggressor to conceal the origin of oil, evade international control, and ensure its supply to third countries in circumvention of sanctions.

The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has published data on the vessel IMO 9247443, which the aggressor state Russia uses as a floating transshipment hub for the supply of sanctioned oil, on the War&Sanctions platform.

In addition, the Main Intelligence Directorate publishes data on 159 oil tankers, most of which are part of the so-called “shadow fleet” of the Russian Federation, as well as information on 55 captains of this fleet.

In total, the portal's database contains data on 577 such oil tankers. The total deadweight of the identified vessels exceeds 63 million metric tons.

In the fourth year of the full-scale invasion, oil and gas exports remain a key source of revenue for the Russian Federation. According to estimates, one-third of these revenues in 2025 will be used to finance the war against Ukraine.

The “shadow fleet” actively uses high-risk practices in maritime logistics, including turning off automatic identification systems, spoofing navigation data, transshipping oil at night without lighting, using flags of convenient jurisdictions, and registering shell companies.

These actions pose serious threats to environmental safety, especially given the technical condition of the old ships in the shadow fleet and the lack of insurance. They could lead to large-scale accidents and environmental disasters near the coasts of European Union countries.

In addition to evading sanctions, the “shadow fleet” is used by Russia as an element of hybrid warfare. There have been cases of such vessels participating in reconnaissance and sabotage operations, particularly in the Baltic Sea, where they monitor naval infrastructure, submarine cables, and other critical facilities.

Source: Army.inform