Ukraine seizes 68 vessels of Russia's shadow fleet over past five years

Acting Head of the Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Vitalii Sekretar, stated this at a press conference in Kyiv, according to Ukrinform reports.

"Over the past five years, we have seized 68 vessels. This year alone, in 2025 and December 2024, we seized three vessels, two of which were transferred to the National Agency for Finding, Tracing and Management of Assets [ARMA]," he said.

Sekretar explained that the third vessel was detained on 6 December 2025, and a large amount of evidence linking the Russian Federation to the shadow fleet was found on board.

"We found the ship's crew list, maps showing Sevastopol with coordinates, and Russian permits. Today the vessel is under arrest. Soon it will become the third vessel to be transferred to ARMA," he noted.

Sekretar also recalled that the issue of sanctions by the National Security and Defense Council was recently considered regarding 56 maritime vessels, 17 of which are involved in criminal proceedings of the Crimea Prosecutor's Office.

He added that in 2014 Ukraine officially closed Crimea's seaports to international shipping and urged member countries of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) not to recognize Russia's illegal actions in the Black Sea waters adjacent to the Crimean peninsula, which is an integral part of Ukraine.

As Ukrinform reported, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia has created a shadow fleet of over 1,240 tankers to bypass Western sanctions and continue selling oil.

Photo: SRZ of Ukraine