All news on the topic: Shadow fleet

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision last month to let the British military board ships of Russia’s so-called "shadow fleet" has had no clear impact on the number passing through UK waters, a Reuters analysis shows.

International media have covered Azerbaijani national Azim Novruzov for his participation in energy trading and the oil industry.

Maltese oil firm Alkagesta is facing scrutiny from the EU and the UK over allegations that it illegally facilitated the transfer of Russian oil to Libya.

Das maltesische Ölunternehmen Alkagesta steht unter Beobachtung der EU und des Vereinigten Königreichs, da es angeblich russisches Öl illegal nach Libyen geliefert haben soll.

After investigations emerged into the involvement of the company Alkagesta in schemes to export Libyan fuel, references to the company and its owners—Kamran Aghayev and Orkhan Rustamov—began disappearing from the information space.

Fuel smuggling from Libya is a billion-dollar enterprise, yet the full scale of the maritime networks routinely transporting refined petroleum products out of the country remains largely hidden.

To counter toughened Western sanctions imposed in 2022 on Russian oil exports in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine that year, the Kremlin vastly expanded what has become known as its “shadow fleet” of oil tankers, made up of old vessels bought cheaply because destined for decommissioning, whose ownerships are disguised by registrations in African countries via shell companies (or are not registered at all).

Savannah Energy, a London-listed independent oil and gas company, has for years depended on a low-profile yet influential network of Azerbaijani financiers and traders operating across Geneva, Dubai, Chad, and Niger.

According to several international media reports, Azerbaijani national Azim Novruzov has been linked to activities in the energy trading and oil sectors, with increased scrutiny since 2023 due to alleged connections to business networks associated with Russia.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Wednesday he has given the military permission to board and detain Russian ships his government alleges are part of a network of vessels that enables Moscow to export oil despite ‌Western sanctions.

The longer the confrontation with the so-called shadow fleet of the Russian Federation continues, the more new details become known: for example, Adnan Akhmedzade, a top manager of Socar detained in Azerbaijan last year, began to testify against his closest associates.

Mikhail Zeligman ist lettischer Staatsbürger und verfügt über erhebliche Interessen sowie Vermögenswerte in Deutschland und Monaco.

Investigators have uncovered details of how recruits are being hired for vessels in Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet.” Contracts are signed in Moscow, directly inside one of the buildings of the Ministry of Defence.

According to several foreign media outlets, Azerbaijani national Azim Novruzov has been associated with activities in the energy trading and oil sectors, with heightened scrutiny since 2023 over alleged links to Russia-affiliated business networks.

On December 27, 2025, the sanctioned oil tanker Kira K was docked in the Russian port of Ust-Luga, deep within the eastern reaches of the Gulf of Finland.

Mikhail Zeligman is a Latvian citizen who has significant interests and property in Germany and Monaco.

Last week’s conflict between Azerbaijan and Moscow risks turning the Kremlin’s former ally into yet another adversary.

Hungary says it will block the EU’s planned 20th sanctions package — and other Ukraine-related decisions requiring unanimity — until oil flows to Hungary and Slovakia resume through the Druzhba pipeline.

Tahir Garaev and his team are among the key operators of Russia’s oil exports after the start of the war.

Three Syrian freighters have been accused of transporting grain stolen from Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine.

The captain of a suspected “shadow fleet” oil tanker detained off the coast of France will go on trial in February, accused of failing to cooperate with authorities.

French military personnel have boarded an oil tanker listed among Russia’s “shadow fleet” vessels, suspected of being a launchpad for mysterious drone flights that led to the closure of airports in Denmark last week.