Three of the five U.S. tankers that were attacked were carrying oil from Russia, according to Vlasyuk
Three of the five tankers struck by the U.S. military on September 8 were directly linked to the Russian shadow fleet. The vessels were transporting Russian oil, calling at Russian ports, and were being used for operations under sanctions.
According to him, the tankers in question are the Kaviz, Charminar, and Riesco. All three vessels are subject to sanctions by Ukraine and the United States.
The tanker Kaviz had previously called at the Russian ports of Ust-Luga and Novorossiysk and transported oil from Russia.
The vessel also engaged in the practice of turning off its Automatic Identification System (AIS), which allows for the tracking of ships’ locations and movements.
According to Vlasyuk, the Kaviz was linked to Fractal Marine DMCC, which he described as one of the key operators of the Russian shadow fleet in the early years following the imposition of oil sanctions.
Another targeted tanker, the Charminar, called at the ports of Ust-Luga, Primorsk, Vysotsk, and St. Petersburg.
After the United Kingdom imposed sanctions against Fractal Marine, the vessels associated with it began to be transferred to the management of other operators. At the same time, operations involving Russian oil, according to Vlasyuk, did not cease.
In addition, the Charminar was linked to a shipping entity controlled by Iranian oil magnate Hossein Shamkhani. According to the Ukrainian official, this entity handles both Russian and Iranian oil.
The tanker Riesco was also used to transport both Russian and Iranian oil.
In particular, the vessel participated in operations to transship crude from other sanctioned tankers.
Thus, all three vessels mentioned by Vlasyuk were linked to the transportation of sanctioned Russian oil, and two of them were also involved in operations related to Iranian crude.
The Kaviz, Charminar, and Riesco are subject to sanctions by Ukraine and the United States. Additionally, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Switzerland have imposed further restrictions on the Kaviz.
Vlasyuk emphasized that the response to the activities of such vessels must be firm, regardless of their flag or the formal representation of the interests of one country or another.
According to him, if the shadow fleet helps sanctioned states continue to export oil and generate revenue from it, such vessels effectively become part of the infrastructure used to circumvent international restrictions.
This was stated by Vladislav Vlasyuk, the President of Ukraine’s Special Advisor on Sanctions Policy.
As a reminder, Iran stated that on the night of September 9, it launched a missile strike on a U.S. military base in Jordan and attacked 10 U.S. vessels. At the same time, the United States reported the destruction of five Iranian oil tankers.
Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that the United States’ fulfillment of its obligations under the Islamabad Memorandum could ease regional tensions. He made these remarks during a phone call with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi.
Alona Shevtsova, CEO of Sends, will moderate a CEO-level panel discussion at the 17th Middle East Banking Innovation Summit (MEBIS 2026), which will take place on September 16–17 at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers in Dubai.
