The Russian "shadow fleet" consists mainly of older oil tankers with unclear ownership. Through it, Russia circumvents the oil price ceiling imposed by the G-7 countries in December 2022 in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Typical of this illegal flotilla are frequent changes of flag and name, temporary shutdown of the identification system (AIS) and the use of fictitious insurance companies. Crude oil and petroleum products are not usually unloaded in ports, but are usually transferred from one ship to another in coastal areas.
In this way, the ships bypass the price cap mechanism, the threshold of which in the EU and the UK is currently $47.60 per barrel. In the EU, purchases of Russian crude oil and petroleum products are prohibited. Therefore, the main buyers are mainly India and China, but they are not the only ones buying from Russia.
Russian tankers "in the shadow" are about 1,600
According to some estimates, the Russian "shadow fleet" includes over 900 tankers. Their number has recently increased significantly, however - they are probably already between 1,200 and 1,600. Hundreds of them are on the EU's ban list, but as long as they do not dock in European ports, nothing threatens them.
A significant part of Russian oil supplies by sea in recent months have been made using these old tankers. Many of them even originate from the European Union: they are sold (mainly from Greece) to third countries through fictitious companies. Experts have long called for a halt to the sale of old tankers from the EU to fictitious entities.
Macron's "Coalition of the Willing"
The French navy stopped the 244-meter tanker "Pushpa", also known as "Boracay", and previously "Kiwala", off Saint-Nazaire this week. According to the newspaper "Le Monde" in just three years, the ship has changed flags 13 times. The Chinese captain and first officer were temporarily detained.
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke of "serious violations" and called for the creation of a "coalition of the willing" against the Russian "shadow fleet", which generates tens of billions of euros for the Russian military and finances about 40 percent of Russia's war in Ukraine.
Macron is calling for joint, coordinated action to block or detain suspicious ships from this fleet for weeks. This would raise the price of Russian oil. "If we detain these ships for a few days or weeks, it would destroy this business model," Macron assured. He described the idea as an "important step to increase pressure on Russia" to force the Kremlin to the negotiating table.
In the case of the "Pushpa", the French authorities justified their actions with doubts about the ship's flag and registration. These violations are among the few cases in which, according to maritime law, it is possible to take action on the high seas. The tanker, flying the flag of Benin, was also spotted in the area of Denmark during unexplained drone flights, but so far no direct connection has been proven. In the meantime, the tanker and crew were released and continued their journey.
What dangers does Putin's "shadow fleet" hide?
The tankers of the Russian "shadow fleet" are much older than the regular merchant fleet that plies the world's seas, and are often underinsured. They are suspected of carrying out risky maneuvers, sailing with their AIS switched off or tampered with, and of being involved in sabotage of undersea cables. In the case of the "Eagle S" in the Gulf of Finland, the crew was accused of damaging power lines and data cables on the seabed.
However, on October 3, the Helsinki District Court dismissed the charges against the captain and two officers, as intent had not been proven. And if it is a question of negligence, then the competent authorities are not the Finnish authorities, but the country under whose flag the ship flies - in this case the Cook Islands - or the countries from which the defendants come. All this shows how high the hurdles are in terms of evidence and jurisdiction when incidents occur outside territorial waters.
UN law of the sea gives priority to "innocent passage". Control in the exclusive economic zone is only possible in rare cases, such as piracy, clear environmental crimes or ambiguity regarding the owner state.
The incidents in Finland, Estonia and France show that more and more EU countries are using loopholes to control and detain tankers.
Can the "shadow fleet" be defeated with financial means?
The economic fight against Putin's unregulated tanker fleet is being waged on several levels. The EU is relying on a package of sanctions and a price cap set by the G7. The list includes not only ships, but also owners, insurers and other service providers. Additional bans on access to ports should disrupt the logistics chain. But as long as there are buyers in Asia and the market price is above the price cap, this business of roundabout routes remains profitable for Russia.
According to studies, better coordination of sanctions measures would be beneficial: the more often the EU, the US and the UK register the same ships, the more it disrupts the scheme. So far, however, such cases of overlap in the fight against the "shadow fleet" are rare.
Tougher measures against third countries could also help. Secondary sanctions against refineries, traders and ports have a deterrent effect. The EU is currently fighting for an approach that the US has long insisted on.
What are the EU and NATO doing?
Brussels has tightened sanctions. The 18th package of July 18, 2025, already includes 444 ships (105 have been added) and bans on access to ports and services have been imposed. The new 19th package will expand the restrictions.
The pressure is also growing militarily. In January, NATO launched the "Baltic Watch" mission to strengthen its presence in the Baltic Sea and better protect critical underwater infrastructure. Coastal countries, such as Sweden, are also strengthening their coastguards - especially after the increased use of drones and a series of cable incidents.
The EU Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) is using satellite intelligence to provide near-real-time information on oil spills and covert activities, thus supporting targeted inspections by member states. The EU and NATO have also expanded their cooperation on protecting underwater infrastructure with the creation of a dedicated unit within the Alliance.
However, so far, the measures have failed to prevent Russia's "shadow fleet" from operating profitably and… very dangerously.
Author: Andreas Knoll