Ukraine’s Foreign Minister calls on Europe to fight Russia’s shadow fleet of tankers
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha urged European countries to take action against Russia’s shadow fleet of tankers transporting Russian oil.
Sybiha said in X that Russia poses an existential threat to Europe while continuing to “earn billions on energy exports to Europe and through European countries.” He argued these funds are subsequently used to finance the Kremlin’s war machine.
According to a Kyiv School of Economics report, Russian oil exports through the so-called shadow fleet have nearly doubled over the past year, reaching 4.1 million barrels per day.
A shadow fleet consists of tankers and ships that operate outside Western regulations to transport oil while evading sanctions. These vessels, often older and potentially underinsured, allow countries like Russia to continue oil exports with less transparency and oversight than conventional fleets.
“Europe can and must deprive Russia of its bloody energy revenues,” Sybiha said.
Sybiha’s call follows recent European efforts to address the issue. On 24 June, the EU Council announced new sanctions targeting tankers in Russia’s oil “shadow fleet.”
In July, over 40 European countries agreed on a plan to combat Russia’s shadow fleet at a European Political Community summit.
“It is high time Europe took real action to block this shadow fleet, shrink Russia’s war budget, save lives and the environment,” the minister declared.
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