Canada imposes sanctions on 100 more ships of Russiaʼs shadow fleet

On March 26, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand reported the introduction of additional sanctions against tankers of the Russian shadow fleet.

This is stated on the website of the Canadian Foreign Ministry.

"To further strengthen our efforts to counter Russiaʼs sanctions evasion, Canada is adding 100 more vessels from the Russian shadow fleet to its sanctions list," the minister said.

According to her, Russia continues to rely on oil and gas revenues to finance its war against Ukraine, using a shadow fleet to transport sanctioned goods and raw materials, including crude oil, to various countries.

Anand emphasized that the sanctions are designed to limit Russiaʼs ability to finance aggression while minimizing harm to civilians.

Currently, more than 600 vessels of the Russian shadow fleet have been subject to Canadian sanctions.

Also, since 2014, the country has imposed restrictions against more than 3 400 people and organizations involved in violations of Ukraineʼs sovereignty and systematic human rights violations.

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. 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 to form a shadow fleet. This is a fleet of old tankers that turn off their beacons so that they cannot be seen by surveillance systems. They are operated mostly by the Russian state company “Suchkomflot”. With its help, the Russian Federation transports an estimated 1.7 million barrels of oil per day, which brings large profits to the Kremlin.

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