President Volodymyr Zelensky has imposed sanctions against 56 Russian naval vessels that were transporting stolen Ukrainian grain from the temporarily occupied cities of Crimea — Sevastopol and Feodosia.
This is stated on the official website of the president.
In closed ports, ships loaded thousands of tons of wheat, sunflower seeds, and other products that were shipped abroad. Of these, 17 sailed under the flags of other states — Ukraine will ask not to issue licenses to these countries.
The sanctions include a 10-year asset freeze, a halt to trade operations, a ban on transit and flights through the territory of Ukraine, the suspension of licenses, and a ban on using the radio frequency spectrum and entering Ukrainian ports.
In particular, the vessel Yenisei of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the Bayaze D, which flies under the flag of the West African country of the Republic of Togo, and the San Damian, which flies under the flag of the Kingdom of Eswatini, were subject to restrictions.
Some of the vessels are already under sanctions by the EU, the US, and Switzerland.
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. From February 5, 2023, these countries imposed price caps on Russian petroleum products: $100 for diesel fuel, $45 for various lubricants.
To circumvent oil sanctions, Russia has begun building a shadow fleet. This is a fleet of old tankers that turn off their beacons so they cannot be seen by surveillance systems. These tankers are mostly operated by the Russian state-owned company “Sovcomflot”.
According to The Guardian, Russia’s shadow fleet now numbers around 600 vessels, accounting for 70% of Russia’s oil exports and almost 10% of the world’s “wet cargo” fleet. It transports almost 1.7 million barrels of oil per day, generating huge profits for the Kremlin. The UK has imposed sanctions on the largest number of ships in the shadow fleet.
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