The Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine has published data on 139 vessels and 142 captains involved in the illegal transportation of Russian and Iranian sanctioned oil, as well as grain stolen from occupied Ukrainian territories.
According to the Defence Intelligence, the information was made public in the “Maritime Vessels” section of the War & Sanctions portal.
The agency noted that the export of crude oil, petroleum products, gas, grain, coal, sulphur, and fertilizers is one of the key pillars of the Russian economy, generating billions in revenue for the aggressor state and financing its war against Ukraine.
Maritime exports from the Baltic and Black Sea regions constitute an organized Russian network trafficking stolen Ukrainian grain from occupied territories and exporting crude oil and petroleum products in circumvention of sanctions, largely managed by the Kremlin’s shadow fleet.
As sanctioned Russian vessels face restrictions on legitimate commercial activity, Moscow continues to expand its shadow tanker fleet, using shell companies and “ghost ships” to sustain its export flows.
The publication includes data on new shadow tankers deployed by Russia in 2025 to evade sanctions control, as well as vessels belonging to the maritime empire of Iranian oil tycoon and key Russian arms supplier Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, the son of former Iranian Defence Minister Ali Shamkhani, which transport sanctioned oil.
It also features information about oil tankers connected to Astrakhan businessman Jamaldin Pashayev, linked to the logistics of the “North–South” transport corridor used for trade with Iran. According to Defence Intelligence, Pashayev and his companies are also involved in schemes to supply lethal aid to the Russian company OEZ Alabuga with Iranian support.
Additionally, the Defence Intelligence released details on ships transporting stolen Ukrainian grain that Russia presents as its own on international markets, as well as Russian and foreign vessels conducting illegal calls to ports in occupied Ukrainian territories closed by Ukraine.
Currently, the “Maritime Vessels” section contains information on over 1,200 ships, more than half of which belong to Russia’s shadow fleet, and nearly 300 captains directly involved in violating international sanctions.
