A tanker belonging to the Russian shadow fleet was intercepted in Belgium at night

Belgian military detained a tanker of the Russian shadow fleet for the first time.

This was reported on March 1 by Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken.

The operation by the Belgian Armed Forces, with support from France, was called “Blue Violator”. The ship is currently being escorted to the port of Zeebrugge, where it will be confiscated.

"Great job," Francken wrote in H.

UPD at 1:20 PM: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha welcomed "the decisive step of Belgium, which arrested an illegal tanker of the Russian shadow fleet" and thanked the Belgian authorities and military for this.

"Such decisive and justified actions are necessary to deprive Russia of the resources to continue its aggression and war crimes against Ukraine. Belgium once again demonstrates leadership in strengthening European security," Sybiha emphasized.

He separately thanked France and the French military "for their important role in this operation".

"France has already recently demonstrated leadership by taking decisive action against Russiaʼs shadow fleet... We call on all partners to follow this example, to resolutely counter Russiaʼs shadow fleet through sanctions and concrete actions, and to promote peace through force," the Ukrainian minister added.

In late January, the French Navy also stopped a tanker in the Mediterranean Sea that was heading from Russia, was under international sanctions, and was likely flying a false flag.

What is known about the Russian shadow fleet?

In early December 2022, the G7 members, as well as Australia and the EU, imposed price caps on Russian oil, setting a maximum price of $60 per barrel. Already in January 2026, the European Union reported a reduction in the price of Russian oil to $44.1 per barrel from February 1, 2026.

To circumvent oil sanctions, Russia has begun building a shadow fleet. This is a fleet of old tankers that turn off their beacons so that they cannot be seen by surveillance systems. These tankers are mostly operated by the Russian state-owned company “Suchkomflot”.

According to The Guardian’s September 2023 estimates, Russia’s shadow fleet consists of approximately 600 vessels, providing 70% of Russia’s oil exports and almost 10% of the world’s “wet cargo” fleet. It transports an estimated 1.7 million barrels of oil per day, generating large profits for the Kremlin.

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