Russia-Ukraine WarInsider article18 min read
Russia's Shadow Fleet: How the Kremlin Funds Its Wars
Russia's Shadow Fleet is an extensive network of vessels that exists for the explicit purpose of evading international sanctions and keeping Russian oil flowing to fund the war in Ukraine.
M. Reed Whitney4 August 2025
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- The 600-vessel Shadow Fleet is the linchpin of Moscow's wartime economy, smuggling sanctioned oil that sustains the invasion and insulates the Russian public from Western financial pressure.
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How the Kremlin's shadow fleet of tankers evades international sanctions to keep Russian oil flowing and fund its wars.
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