Ukraine warns Putin mocks EU with new scheme to evade oil sanctions

Ukraine’s military intelligence service (HUR) has reported that an uninsured Aframax-class oil tanker has been conducting ship-to-ship oil transfers in international waters between Greece and Cyprus since July 2024.

According to the agency, the vessel is part of Russia’s growing “shadow fleet” — a network of tankers used by Moscow to continue exporting oil by sea while circumventing sanctions imposed by the EU and the G7.

HUR stated that these covert transfers “pose an environmental threat, allow the aggressor to conceal the origin of oil, evade international control, and ensure its supply to third countries in circumvention of sanctions.”

Despite the international price cap on Russian oil, Moscow continues to generate significant revenue by selling crude around the world. Ukrainian intelligence estimates that nearly one-third of these revenues are being funneled directly into Russia’s war effort.

The European Union recently announced its 18th package of sanctions against Russia, which requires unanimous approval from all member states. However, Hungary and Slovakia—both of which maintain close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin—are expected to vote against the new measures.

Meanwhile, the United States has yet to implement any additional sanctions, despite repeated calls from Kyiv to increase pressure on Moscow.

(QG - Source: Kyiv Independent - Picture : © Unsplash)