European Centre for Counterterrorism and Intelligence Studies, Germany & Netherlands – ECCI
Europe Prepares New Blow to Putin’s Shadow Fleet
newsweek – Vessels Russia uses to dodge Western sanctions on its energy exports will be targeted in a suite of measures by the European Union, it has been reported.
The European Commission is looking to add over 100 vessels from Russia’s “shadow fleet” to its latest sanctions package to punish Vladimir Putin for his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to Reuters.
Ukrainian advocacy group Razom We Stand told Newsweek it welcomed the measures but they do not go far enough. Newsweek has contacted the Kremlin for comment.
Why It Matters
Since the start of the war, sanctions have targeted Russia’s key exports of oil and natural gas but Moscow’s coffers continue to swell with fossil fuel revenues, posing a dilemma for western policy makers keen to curb Putin’s war machine.
Moscow responded to a $60 price cap on seaborne oil by building up a shadow fleet of vessels whose ties to Russia are hidden, allowing sales of the country’s key export to its main purchasers, India and China, to continue apace.
The draft EU measures to be voted on this month will expand list of sanctioned Russian vessels to 300 and will also include dozens of individuals and entities, including Chinese firms, potentially tightening the noose on support for Russia’s military.
What To Know
EU diplomats told Reuters that the European Commission had proposed adding over 100 vessels linked to Russia’s shadow fleet to its 17th package of sanctions against Moscow.
The measures will also target more than 60 individuals and entities, including roughly 50 companies, five Chinese firms and 31 enterprises that either support the Russian military or help bypass existing trade restrictions, the agency reported.
There would also be a tightening export controls on dual-use items and advanced technology which can aid Russia’s military.
The package would include an exemption on the Sakhalin-2 LNG project in Russia’s far east due to its importance to Japan.
First discussions on the proposal will take place Wednesday and the package has come sooner than expected, with member states not informally consulted in advance unlike with previous packages, the agency said.
Svitlana Romanko, founder and executive director of Razom We Stand, has welcomed the proposed sanctions but said they did not go far enough.
She told Newsweek Wednesday that with up to 1,000 shadow fleet ships at Russia’s disposal for transporting fossil fuels, a comprehensive structure to monitor and update information about all the ships is needed, and internationally coordinated sanctions be placed on the entire fleet.
Romanko said that strong sanctions must be coordinated across key entities like the EU, the U.K., the U.S. and Canada, to ensure that sanctions are covered across the board.
Also, additional actions in terms of trade policy and legislation are needed to implement the new roadmap for the phase-out of Russian fossil fuels, she added.
What People Are Saying
Svitlana Romanko, founder, Razom We Stand: “This is not enough…what is needed is a comprehensive structure for continually monitoring and updating information about all these ships, and placing internationally coordinated sanctions on the entire fleet.”
What Happens Next
EU foreign ministers will likely vote on the package in Brussels on May 20, Ukrainian media reported although it requires unanimous approval its 27 member states, one of which, Hungary, is Russia’s closest ally in the bloc.
If Budapest exercises its veto, the details of the package may change. Meanwhile, France has said that the EU would try to coordinate the timing of its next package with the United States.
European Centre for Counterterrorism and Intelligence Studies, Germany & Netherlands – ECCI
