Following the G7 and allied nations' implementation of a price cap on Russian oil exports in December 2022, Russia developed a shadow fleet of oil tankers to evade these sanctions. This fleet employs tactics such as ship-to-ship transfers, blending oil from multiple sources, spoofing location data, and frequent reflagging. The shadow fleet largely consists of older vessels acquired from Western companies with an estimated total oil capacity of 64 million barrels. U.S. sanctions in January 2025 targeted 183 Russian-controlled vessels, including 75 identified as part of the shadow fleet. Ownership tracing reveals that nearly 60% of these tankers were sold to Russia by Western European companies, with Greek operators being the single largest contributors. The buildup of this shadow fleet has financially enabled Russia to maintain oil revenue despite sanctions, while posing environmental and fiscal risks due to the old tankers and disreputable insurers. Experts suggest banning tanker sales to Russian or unverifiable entities to improve the sanctions' effectiveness and pressure Russia's economy. This also includes EU consideration to limit tanker sales under its 12th sanctions package.

Following the G7 and allied nations' implementation of a price cap on Russian oil exports in December 2022, Russia developed a shadow fleet of oil tankers to evade these sanctions. This fleet employs tactics such as ship-to-ship transfers, blending oil from multiple sources, spoofing location data, and frequent reflagging. The shadow fleet largely consists of older vessels acquired from Western companies with an estimated total oil capacity of 64 million barrels. U.S. sanctions in January 2025 targeted 183 Russian-controlled vessels, including 75 identified as part of the shadow fleet. Ownership tracing reveals that nearly 60% of these tankers were sold to Russia by Western European companies, with Greek operators being the single largest contributors. The buildup of this shadow fleet has financially enabled Russia to maintain oil revenue despite sanctions, while posing environmental and fiscal risks due to the old tankers and disreputable insurers. Experts suggest banning tanker sales to Russian or unverifiable entities to improve the sanctions' effectiveness and pressure Russia's economy. This also includes EU consideration to limit tanker sales under its 12th sanctions package.