Ukraine’s Parliament passed a draft law that would allow the country to impose direct sanctions on Russian ships and aircraft involved in sanctions evasion, according to a lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak on May 13.
As explained in the bill’s official summary, current Ukrainian legislation permits sanctions only against individuals and legal entities—but not against specific vessels or aircraft.
The proposed changes aim to close that loophole, enabling sanctions against particular ships and planes that are complicit in Russia’s covert transport of oil, fuel products, weapons, and troops.
Following the price cap on Russian oil imposed by the G7, European Union, and Australia in December 2022—set at $60 per barrel—and subsequent caps on oil products in February 2023 ($100 for diesel, $45 for lubricants), Russia began to rely heavily on a so-called “shadow fleet” to skirt the restrictions.
This shadow fleet consists of aging tankers, many of which disable their tracking transponders to avoid detection. Most of these vessels are operated by Sovcomflot, Russia’s state-owned shipping giant.
Russia’s shadow fleet now includes around 1,000 tankers, making up 10% of the global fleet used for transporting liquid cargo. These ships are believed to be responsible for delivering about 70% of Russia’s oil exports, moving roughly 1.7 million barrels of oil per day—bringing in substantial revenue to fund the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine.
Earlier, reports emerged that Russia has quietly opened a new route to circumvent sanctions and maintain its oil exports—this time through a remote Southeast Asian port.
-21d0b63c17f6020e4df75f6c6f9a2f4f.jpg "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
