The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU), in the "Maritime Vessels" section of the War&Sanctions portal, has released information on 42 vessels involved in the export of sanctioned russian and Iranian oil, as well as the theft and transport of Ukrainian grain and coal from temporarily occupied territories. These ships are also used to supply fuel to russia's so-called "shadow fleet."

Among them is a floating storage facility in the Caspian Sea operated by the sanctioned oil giant Lukoil, which is used for ship-to-ship transfers onto shadow fleet tankers.

As international sanctions and diplomatic pressure mount, more countries are revoking or refusing to register vessels linked to sanctions evasion. In response, russia has resorted to fraudulent schemes—sailing under fake flags, creating bogus maritime registries with counterfeit websites, and forging registration documents.

According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), over 300 vessels operate with falsified flags and documents worldwide.

To counter these abuses, the War & Sanctions portal has introduced a new feature that highlights falsified registration data of ships. It currently contains information on more than 100 russian and Iranian tankers operating under fake flags from Panama, Malawi, the Comoros, Guinea, Palau, and other states.

All such vessels must be subject to a full ban on all operations, including servicing, port entry, transit through territorial waters, exclusive economic zones, and international straits. Flag states and the IMO should tighten controls, identify violators, and promptly inform the global community.

As of today, the "Maritime Vessels" section of the portal contains data on more than 1,000 vessels and 155 captains involved in arms transport, smuggling goods from occupied Ukrainian territories, sanctions evasion, and other illicit activities.