The Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) has published on the War & Sanctions portal data on 42 vessels belonging to Russia’s shadow fleet, a floating storage unit used by Lukoil, and ships involved in stealing Ukrainian grain and coal from temporarily occupied territories.
According to Ukrinform, the intelligence agency reported this on Facebook.
In the “Marine and Aircraft Vessels” section of the War & Sanctions portal, information has been made public on 42 ships engaged in exporting sanctioned Russian and Iranian oil, looted Ukrainian grain and coal, as well as in refueling Russia’s shadow fleet. Among them is a floating storage facility operated by the sanctioned Russian oil company Lukoil in the Caspian Sea, used for transferring oil onto shadow fleet tankers.
“Under sanctions and diplomatic pressure, more and more countries are cancelling or refusing to register vessels involved in sanctions evasion. In response, Russia resorts to fraudulent schemes: using fake flags, creating bogus maritime registries with counterfeit websites, and falsifying registration documents,” the statement said.
According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), more than 300 vessels worldwide sail under false flags and with forged documents.
To counter these practices, the War & Sanctions portal has introduced a feature displaying falsified vessel registration data. Information has already been published on over 100 Russian and Iranian tankers using fake flags of Panama, Malawi, the Comoros, Guinea, Palau, and other states.
“All such vessels must be subject to a complete ban on any operations, including servicing, entry into ports, territorial waters, exclusive economic zones, and international straits. Flag states and the IMO must tighten oversight, identify violators, and promptly inform the international community,” HUR said.
Currently, the “Marine and Aircraft Vessels” section of the War & Sanctions portal contains data on over 1,000 ships and 155 captains involved in transporting weapons, looted goods from occupied Ukrainian territories, sanctions evasion, and other illegal activities.
