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Ukrainian Intelligence Exposes 11 Russian Ship Captains Behind Sanctions-Evading Oil Tankers
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![Amira_barkhush]( "Amira Barkhush")
Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR) has unveiled the identities of 11 Russian ship captains and 31 vessels tied to sanctions evasion schemes used to trade Russian oil. The information was published on April 3 via the War & Sanctions website.
According to HUR, the listed individuals include captains of oil tankers linked to Sovcomflot, a Russian state-owned shipping company under international sanctions.
“These vessels are actively violating the price cap policy imposed on Russian oil,” the Ukrainian intelligence stated.
Among them are Ivan Nikiforov, captain of the tanker KOTLAS, and Konstantin Kovalenko, captain of the CORUS tanker.
According to HUR, these captains possess firsthand knowledge about the true owners of shadow fleet tankers, the technical condition of the vessels, the nature and value of their cargo, and their precise routes.
“They are the ones making decisions to disable or manipulate ship navigation systems, falsify location data, alter voyage records, and carry out risky ship-to-ship transfers of oil at sea. These tactics are part of broader efforts to circumvent international sanctions,” HUR added.
The Ukrainian intelligence agency noted that such actions not only help finance Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine but also pose a serious risk of triggering a global environmental disaster.
The “Vessels” section of the War & Sanctions website now features data on 782 ships and 100 captains.
On March 25, it was reported that at least 76 oil tankers from Russia’s so-called shadow fleet passed through the territorial waters of NATO member states in the Baltic Sea using falsified insurance certificates.
-21d0b63c17f6020e4df75f6c6f9a2f4f.jpg "Ivan Khomenko")
