Tankers worth $6 billion from the EU and the US have been found in Russia's "shadow fleet."

Russia employs shadow fleet vessels to circumvent sanctions imposed by the EU, the US, Japan, and other countries. According to investigators, there are approximately 600 ships in this fleet, which facilitate 70% of Russia's oil exports.

The largest number of vessels has been indirectly acquired by Russia from companies in Greece (127 tankers), the UK (22), and Germany (11 ships). The shadow fleet includes tankers from 21 out of 35 countries that have imposed sanctions against oil exports from Russia.

In January, the administration of former US President Joe Biden implemented the most severe sanctions against Russia's oil sector, which for the first time targeted the shadow fleet involved in oil trading. The restrictions affected "Gazprom Neft," "Surgutneftegas," over 180 vessels in Russia's shadow fleet, and other companies.

• According to the definition provided by the European Commission, the "shadow fleet" consists of older vessels owned by unknown individuals or entities that conceal their beneficiaries.
• These ships transport oil in violation of sanctions through deceptive methods, such as disabling vessel identification systems, falsifying location information, and changing national flags to "convenient" ones depending on the circumstances. The "shadow fleet" conceals both the ultimate beneficiaries of the tankers or cargo and the origin of the oil.