During the Ukraine war, Russia’s economy is to be curbed with sanctions and targeted drone attacks. Now Putin’s shadow tankers are burning.
Kiev/Moscow – In view of Russia’s superior strength in the Ukraine war, Kiev has repeatedly carried out targeted attacks since fighting broke out almost four years ago, which regularly inflict heavy losses on Russia in the conflict. Attacks on Russia’s economy have been at the core of this strategy for several months. As Ukrainian officials emphasized, the drone attacks on oil refineries, energy infrastructure or supply lines are aimed at further restricting Vladimir Putin’s room for maneuver in the Ukraine war.
While US President Donald Trump recently launched his peace plan to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, Kiev continues to rely on targeted attacks in the fight against Russia. Most recently there was a fire in Crimea: an oil refinery was repeatedly targeted. But now there are reports that two oil tankers have also caught fire in the Black Sea. The background to the incidents is still unclear. The Russian agency TASS wrote, citing Turkish media, that the incidents could have been drone attacks.
Putin’s shadow fleet is on fire: an important arm of Russia’s economy hit
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According to Turkish authorities, however, they say that the fires broke out for unknown reasons. How ntv Reportedly, the incident occurred near the Turkish coast. There were 45 crew members on board the ships who were rescued. According to information, the tanker “Kairos” reported an external impact, which is said to have caused the fire. The ship was on its way to the Russian port of Novorossiysk. The second oil tanker, the “Virat”, reported being “hit”, said the Turkish maritime authority DGM. She did not provide any information about what type of hit it was.
Both ships are considered part of Putin’s shadow fleet and are therefore an important instrument for Russia’s economy. According to OpenSanctions, the “Virat” has been on the sanctions lists of the Americans and other countries since January 2025. The “Kairos” has been sanctioned by the EU since July, followed by the United Kingdom and Switzerland. According to the website Vesselfinder, both oil tankers flew the Gambian flag.
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, sea mines have repeatedly been discovered and destroyed in the Black Sea. The mines used by armed forces to protect their coasts have drifted away in recent years, particularly due to storms. In view of the danger posed by sea mines, Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania, three NATO countries located on the Black Sea, set up a naval unit in 2024 to combat mines in the waters.
Russia’s economy in sight: Putin circumvents sanctions with shadow fleet
Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Putin’s shadow fleet has become an effective means of circumventing Western sanctions. How Geopolitical Monitor writes, the aim of the so-called shadow fleet system is to circumvent international controls and restrictions. For this purpose, the ships are registered under foreign flags. As a result, Russia can circumvent the oil price cap and maintain the flow of money into the country. According to the medium, Putin has expanded the shadow fleet despite international sanctions and developed it into a significant source of income for Russia’s economy.
In spring 2025, according to data from the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE), Russia had invested billions in expanding this fleet since 2022, which is now estimated to number over 400 ships. In the fall of 2024, a European Parliament briefing concluded that the shadow tankers would carry 66 percent of Russia’s maritime oil. Russia’s economy should benefit on a large scale from these mechanisms.
Putin’s shadow fleet: new sanctions planned
For Vladimir Putin, the Shadow Fleet appears to be an effective means of financing the war in Ukraine. Due to the extent of this, the EU has already launched targeted sanctions against these structures of Russia’s economy in the past. A 20th package of sanctions against Russia is currently being debated. This is particularly about further action against the shadow fleet.
But it’s not just the economic consequences that continue to cause problems. The large number of tankers are considered old and dilapidated. In 2024, an environmental disaster occurred in the Black Sea after the cargo ship Volgoneft-212 broke up in a storm off the coast of Crimea. A second tanker, the Volgoneft-239, made a loud noise Guardian in distress in the same area and eventually ran aground near the port of Taman at the southern end of the Kerch Strait.
An adviser to Volodymyr Zelensky said at the time: “The accidents of two rusty ships in the Kerch Strait led to another large-scale environmental disaster of our war. Thousands of tons of heavy oil spilled, causing tragic damage to the ecosystems of the Azov and Black Seas.” Most of the boats are “hopelessly outdated,” Podalyak said, claiming they have “fictitious insurance” and are hiding their true owners. (Sources: afp, Guardian, ntv, Kyiv School of Economics, Geopolitical Monitor) (fbu)
