Since the launch of the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Western nations have collectively responded by imposing unilateral sanctions on Russia, including exports of Russian oil. However, Russia continues to enrich itself with its sanctions-evading “shadow fleet,” and it benefits from the opaque rules in the maritime shipping industry.
Crude Accountability has been actively monitoring the flow of Russian oil from the Black Sea and other Russian ports to the European Union and elsewhere. The shadow fleet not only bolsters Russia’s fossil fuel industry but also poses a serious risk of oil spillage and environmental damage, as evident in the sinking of two oil tankers in the Strait of Kerch in December 2024.
Over the last 3 years, we’ve published 3 reports, which examine the maritime shipping industry and the rogue actors who help fuel Putin’s war in Ukraine: “The Maritime Shipping Industry: Opaque, Extremely Lucrative, and a Tool of Choice for Sanctioned Governments and their Facilitators” (2023); “The Western Enablers Keeping the ‘Shadow’ Shipping Industry Afloat: Structural Barriers to Regulation of Maritime Commerce” (2023); and “Russia’s Shadow Fleet” (2025).
We launched an interactive webpage that not only exposes the movement of the shadow fleet but also highlights the holes in the international sanctions regime.
We’ve curated these materials for further engagement, discussion, and response to this increasing threat to the environment, and provide further context into Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Crude Accountability staff is available for inquiries and comments.
Tracking Russia’s Shadow Fleet: A Visual Guide
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