One of the participants in an international group that purchased maritime vessels for Russia's shadow fleet has been detained in Ukraine. This was reported by the Security Service of Ukraine and the Office of the Prosecutor General. The scheme is far from amateur: searching for vessels in Europe, legal support for deals, crew recruitment, and secret transfer in neutral waters.

How it worked

The group consisted of Ukrainian citizens and foreigners. According to the SBU, the algorithm was well-developed: members of the group would find the necessary vessels in European countries, prepare documents, and recruit crews. Then came the maritime part of the operation.

"After that, the ships would go out to open sea, disable navigation and detection equipment, and move to a designated point in neutral waters. There they were secretly transferred to the Russian side."

— SBU

Among the documented shipments were tugboats. Their role in the shadow fleet is specific: escorting large-tonnage oil tankers during port entry. In other words, the group was supplying not just "old ships," but infrastructure for transporting sanctioned oil.

Computer equipment and smartphones with evidence were confiscated from the detainee. He has been notified of suspicion under the article concerning aiding an aggressor state.

Why Russia needs tugboats from Europe

The shadow fleet is not a metaphor. According to the GUR of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, it comprises up to 1,000 predominantly outdated vessels with a total deadweight of over 100 million tons. From fewer than 100 tankers at the beginning of 2022, the fleet grew to 300–600 units by early 2025—depending on the calculation method, according to estimates by Dryad Global. Approximately 40% of these tankers Russia obtained from EU sellers.

Saad Rahim, chief economist at the Trafigura trading house, noted a paradox at the APPEC 2025 conference: "As sanctions and restrictions increased, the size of the shadow fleet became even larger." Moscow systematically replaces vessels that end up on blacklists while maintaining export volumes of raw materials.

Oil and gas exports are a key source of Russia's budget. According to estimates, one-third of these revenues in 2025 is directed toward financing the war against Ukraine.

Sanctions bite, but don't stop

The EU consistently increases pressure. As part of the 17th sanctions package, 189 shadow fleet vessels came under restrictions. The 18th package lowered the price ceiling on Russian oil from $60 to $47.60. The EU Council calculated that since the introduction of the oil price cap and shadow fleet sanctions, Russia's corresponding revenues have decreased by €38 billion—revenues in March 2025 were 20.3% lower than in March 2022.

Meanwhile, Craig Kennedy, former vice president of Bank of America Merrill Lynch and now a Harvard University researcher, says Russia's vulnerability is growing: "Oil revenues are declining, credit expansion is excessive. And Moscow understands that the situation in 2026 will likely only worsen."

But as long as the fleet continues to be replenished—including through groups like the one just exposed—sanctions pressure remains a game of cat and mouse. 184 sanctioned Russian ships made 238 voyages through British waters without a single detention. Estonia officially refused to conduct forceful interceptions in the Baltic, citing the risk of military confrontation with Russia.

The detention in Ukraine is the first publicly confirmed arrest of a scheme participant directly on Ukrainian territory. How many such supply chains continue to operate remains an open question. The answer depends on whether this case becomes a precedent for coordination with European partners who sell these vessels, often without fully understanding to whom.