In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll discuss the Russian shadow fleet: a network of ships that operate in secret, dodge sanctions, smuggle oil, and undermine the security of Europe’s seas while keeping Putin’s war machine running. 1/15 - ThreadSky | a Reddit-style client for Bluesky

vatniksoup.bsky.social • 1 day ago

In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll discuss the Russian shadow fleet: a network of ships that operate in secret, dodge sanctions, smuggle oil, and undermine the security of Europe’s seas while keeping Putin’s war machine running.

1/15

Comments

vatniksoup.bsky.social•1 day ago

To understand the shadow fleet, let’s rewind to 2022. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and the West responded with economic shockwaves. Sanctions were imposed, Russian oil was banned, and a price cap was introduced. For Russia, this was a disaster.

2/15

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vatniksoup.bsky.social•1 day ago

But Putin and his economic experts are well-familiar with economic warfare. Russia quickly created a “shadow fleet” – an armada of rusting oil tankers with false identities & forged paperwork, and illegal trade routes designed to dodge Western sanctions & keep the rubles flowing.

3/15

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vatniksoup.bsky.social•1 day ago

These ships are registered under shady “flags of convenience” from countries like Panama, Liberia, or even completely fabricated registries. Ownership is hidden behind endless layers of shell companies. If a ship gets caught, good luck figuring out who actually owns it.

4/15

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vatniksoup.bsky.social•1 day ago

The moment these ships enter sensitive waters (like the Baltic Sea), they switch off their AIS transponders, going “dark” on satellite tracking. This allows them to slip past authorities unnoticed, only to reappear days later in a friendly port.

5/15

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vatniksoup.bsky.social•1 day ago

Instead of docking at a major port where they can be tracked, Russian oil tankers sometimes transfer their cargo in international waters, much like drug smugglers. By the time the oil reaches its final buyer, its origins have been scrubbed clean.

6/15

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vatniksoup.bsky.social•1 day ago

The scale of this operation is staggering. Some estimates suggest that Russia has over 600 ships in their fleet, many of which should’ve been scrapped years ago. This naval black market keeps billions flowing into Russia’s economy, directly funding the war on Ukraine.

7/15

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pitirimsorokin.bsky.social•22 hours ago

jukka-pekka.bsky.social•21 hours ago

AIS is not the only way these are tracked. Regardless of their cooperation, satellites have other sensirs to track any vessel, civilian or military

irynabuczkowski.bsky.social•20 hours ago

Thank you again!
Two of those old tankers, not shadow, officially russian were broken in the Kerch Strait spilled up to 5,000 tons (BBC, 23 January 2025)

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annien.bsky.social•21 hours ago

📌

suncloudswe.bsky.social•19 hours ago

Where is Greenpeace when you need them?

snippyboobah.bsky.social•20 hours ago

Bryan Lanza is a Traitor! Battle in Ukraine! #CrimeaisUkraine

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rharju.bsky.social•39 minutes ago

📌

evfuture.bsky.social•19 hours ago

Thank you Pekka for doing an amazing job!

ciribo.bsky.social•23 hours ago

https://x.com/Greenpeace_ITA/status/1896538608833798644

varoblack.bsky.social•23 hours ago

This thread on the Shadow Fleet is great. I've got a copy of this document, which might be useful to you:
https://1drv.ms/x/s!AuhDOOmO0AwrcNxXCmYvP7FpMK4?e=5ccLGl

solgurka.bsky.social•21 hours ago

📌

rockcoach.bsky.social•23 hours ago

@skyview.social unroll

miungureanu.bsky.social•14 hours ago

Pekka, great to see your posts on bsky.

vatniksoup.bsky.social•4 hours ago

Here to stay!

licketysplitz.bsky.social•3 hours ago

I believe that you could safely add trump to your bowl of Vatnik Soup as this stage...
He and his band of maga minions...

liljekonval.bsky.social•1 day ago

📍📌