Defense entelligence has published new data on over a hundred vessels of the Russian “shadow fleet”
16.10.2025 - 11:28
The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine published a dossier on 139 sea vessels and 142 captains involved in the transportation of Russian and Iranian sanctioned oil on the War&Sanctions portal.
The list also includes vessels and captains involved in the transportation of stolen Ukrainian grain from temporarily occupied territories, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported.
“The export of crude oil, oil products, gas, grain, coal, sulfur and fertilizers is one of the key components of the Russian economy, which provides billions in revenues to the budget of the aggressor country and finances its war against Ukraine. Against the background of blocking the legal commercial activity of sanctioned vessels, Russia continues to increase its “shadow” tanker fleet, attracting shell companies and ghost ships to maintain its export flows,” the report says.
Thus, the main figures in the new publication are:
• new “shadow” tankers, used by the Russian Federation since 2025 to circumvent sanctions control;
• vessels belonging to the shipping empire of the Iranian oil magnate and the main arms supplier to the Russian Federation, Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, the son of the former Iranian Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani, which ensure the transportation of sanctioned oil;
• oil tankers from the orbit of the Astrakhan businessman Jamaldin Pashayev, connected with the logistics of the North-South transport corridor, intended for trade with Iran. In addition, Pashayev and his companies are involved in schemes to transfer lethal aid to the Russian company “OEZ “Alabuga” with the support of Iran;
• sea vessels involved in the transportation of stolen Ukrainian grain, which Russia passes off as its own products on the international market;
• Russian and foreign vessels carrying out illegal activities in ports closed by Ukraine in the temporarily occupied territories.
It should be noted that the “Sea Vessels” section currently contains information on over 1,200 vessels, more than half of which are part of the so-called “shadow fleet” of the Russian Federation, as well as data on almost 300 captains who are directly involved in violating the international sanctions regime.
As a reminder, the UK has introduced new sanctions against the Russian Federation: in particular, on tankers, Rosneft and Lukoil.
