The EU is investigating the re-export of oil from the Russian Federation through Turkey under a new brand

OLAF has opened an investigation into a scheme in which sanctioned Russian oil is exported to the EU via Turkey after relabelling.

The European Anti-Fraud Agency (OLAF) has opened an investigation into a loophole that allows Rosneft to enter EU markets after refining in Turkey. Politico y пише writes about it.

This scheme became possible thanks to the rules that allow the import of “mixed” fuel into the EU, as long as it is not labeled as Russian. Bypassing sanctions through Turkish ports is estimated to have brought Moscow up to 3 billion euros a year since the restrictions were introduced in February 2023.

This circumvention of sanctions shows Russia’s efforts to protect its trade in fossil fuels, which make up a significant part of the state budget’s revenues.

This year, the EU stepped up measures against Russian tankers from the “shadow fleet” – oil transported by vessels of unknown ownership and unclear origin. In July, more than 40 European countries agreed to strengthen the fight against the Russian “shadow fleet” at the summit of the European Political Community.

In total, an investigation by Politico and the non-profit organization SourceMaterial found at least nine cases in which Russian “shadow fleet” tankers caused oil spills in global waters, raising additional concerns about the environmental risks of such operations.

As USM wrote, the G7 recently promised to strengthen control over compliance with the “price ceiling” for Russian oil.