Sweden Turns Seized Caffa Vessel Over to Ukraine in Blow to Russia’s Shadow Fleet

Sweden will transfer the seized Caffa vessel, linked to Russia’s shadow fleet, to Ukraine following a landmark court ruling, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry reported on August 6.

The ship may have been involved in the illegal removal of Ukrainian grain from temporarily occupied territories.

Caffa was detained in Sweden on March 6. In June, a Swedish court ordered the seizure of a vessel at Ukraine’s request for the first time in the country’s history.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha welcomed the Swedish Supreme Court’s decision to uphold both the seizure and the vessel’s transfer to Ukraine.

“I welcome the decision by the Supreme Court of Sweden to uphold the seizure and transfer to Ukraine of the Russian shadow fleet vessel Caffa,” Sybiha said.

Sybiha stated that this decision sets an important precedent, demonstrating that decisive action by law enforcement and prosecutors, combined with an independent and impartial judiciary, and that it can translate the principle of accountability into tangible results.

“We continue working to counter Russia’s shadow fleet and its ability to earn money for its war,” Andrii Sybiha wrote.

The ruling gives Ukraine control of a vessel suspected of supporting both Russia’s sanctions-evasion network and the theft of resources from occupied Ukrainian territory.

Kyiv described the decision as an important precedent showing that coordinated work by investigators, prosecutors, and independent courts can turn demands for accountability into concrete action.

Earlier, Italian military personnel boarded the EU-sanctioned oil tanker Toa Payoh, a vessel linked to Russia’s shadow fleet, after its captain initially refused to cooperate with an inspection in the Mediterranean Sea.

Support our frontline reporters

We report from the front lines to show the reality of war. Your support helps us stay there and tell the stories that matter.

DONATE NOW