Defence Intelligence exposed 66 vessels of "shadow fleet" of Russian Federation, Iran, and Venezuela
The Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has published data on 66 ships belonging to the "shadow fleet" of Russia, Iran, and Venezuela.
This was reported by the Defence Intelligence , according to Censor.NET.
Thus, in the "Ships" section of the War&Sanctions portal, the DIU published data on 66 ships belonging to the shadow fleet of the Russian Federation, Iran, and Venezuela, as well as ships involved in the theft of Ukrainian grain and the violation of Ukraine's state border.
Групи компаній Cymare Shipmanagement Ltd та Cymare Navigation FZC
In particular, Ukrainian military intelligence reveals the activities of tankers belonging to the Cymare Shipmanagement Ltd (Cyprus) and Cymare Navigation FZC (UAE) group of companies.
Since 2023, the tanker fleet of the Cymare Shipmanagement Ltd (Cyprus) and Cymare Navigation FZC (UAE) group of companies has been providing Russia with oil dollars to continue the war against Ukraine, hiding behind the registration of companies in European Union member states.
Russian Federation company PAO Sovcomflot
It is noted that the top manager of this group, Nikolay Spichenok, a British citizen, has long worked and continues to work in senior positions at the largest state-owned shipping company in the Russian Federation, PJSC Sovcomflot, as well as in related structures.
The DIU reminds that PJSC Sovcomflot, which is under sanctions imposed by most countries of the sanctions coalition, transports Russian oil, petroleum products, and liquefied gas, cooperating with leading Russian oil and gas companies and traders.
Currently, tankers from Sovcomflot's "orbit," in particular those involved in the transportation of oil and petroleum products to and from Venezuela, are massively changing their flags to Russian ones, effectively confirming their involvement in serving the military and economic interests of the aggressor state.
It is reported that previously such ships of the shadow fleet sailed under the flags of third countries in order to avoid sanctions by Western countries.
The Russian Federation's maritime doctrine
This trend is directly in line with the provisions of the Russian Federation's Maritime Doctrine, which stipulates:
- expanding the civilian fleet under the Russian flag and using it to secure "national interests" in the world's oceans;
- strengthening mobilization readiness in the maritime sphere;
- the integration of pre-prepared civilian vessels and crews into the Russian Armed Forces in wartime.
The Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine separately urges captains and crews of shadow fleet vessels to avoid cooperation with shadow vessel operators.
"Unscrupulous operators of shadow fleets are the first to disappear as soon as a ship comes under the attention of law enforcement agencies — leaving sailors alone to deal with the legal, financial, and humanitarian consequences of the crime," the report emphasizes.
