Head of the Institute of Legislative Ideas Tetiana Khutor spoke on Hromadske Radio about the prospects of EU countries detaining tankers from Russia’s “shadow fleet”

European countries are increasingly detaining tankers from the so-called “shadow fleet” used by Russia to circumvent sanctions. In particular, such actions have already been recorded in France and Belgium. This was stated by Head of the Institute of Legislative Ideas Tetiana Khutor  during the broadcast on Hromadske Radio.

“These are not just old vessels with questionable registration. Such tankers transport oil and petroleum products of significant value. If they are detained due to safety violations or lack of proper documentation, and if sanctions evasion is proven, countries can not only block further movement of the vessels but also seize the cargo and even confiscate it,” the expert explained.

According to her estimates, each such case could bring in tens of millions of euros. In the future, these funds could be directed to support Ukraine as a country affected by Russian aggression.

“In Europe, there are already hundreds – and in some cases thousands – of cases related to sanctions violations. Within these proceedings, fines are imposed and assets are confiscated – from funds and goods to vehicles. This creates an additional financial resource that could potentially be used to support Ukraine,” Khutor added.

At the same time, she noted that sanctions implementation remains the responsibility of individual states, even though they are introduced at the EU level. That is why cooperation between Ukraine and countries actively countering sanctions evasion – such as Germany – is crucial.

“The EU has already established the legal framework for this: sanctions violations have been criminalized at the Union level, enabling the seizure and confiscation of assets. Separate decisions also provide for the possibility of transferring such funds to the victim state,” Khutor said.

She emphasized that Ukraine needs to work more actively with European governments to obtain a share of confiscated assets. This requires tracking relevant cases, initiating dialogue, and insisting on the transfer of funds.

“At the same time, Russia’s tactics are also evolving. While previously ‘shadow fleet’ tankers operated under the flags of third countries, amid increasing detentions due to registration and safety issues, Russia may revert to using its own flag. However, this would create new opportunities to detain such vessels directly for sanctions violations,” Khutor outlined.

The expert stressed that the “shadow fleet” remains one of the key tools for filling Russia’s budget, a significant part of which is formed from oil and gas revenues. Therefore, strengthening control, detaining vessels, and effectively enforcing sanctions could significantly undermine Russia’s financial capacity.

“At the same time, the main challenge lies not only in introducing sanctions, but in their actual enforcement. It is effective implementation – including vessel detentions and asset confiscation – that will determine the success of Europe’s sanctions policy,” Khutor concluded.

The full recording of the broadcast is available here: