Against the backdrop of successful strikes by Ukrainian forces on oil refineries (OR) and a growing fuel shortage in Russia, Moscow is shifting to the use of "grey" schemes for processing and exporting hydrocarbons. This is reported by the Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, citing monitoring data.

The Indian Scheme and "Rosneft"

Ukrainian military intelligence has recorded the implementation of one such scheme through the Indian oil refining company Nayara Energy. In the capital structure of this enterprise, 49.13% of the shares belong to the Russian state corporation "Rosneft". It is through this enterprise that the processing of crude oil products takes place, followed by export through a network of the so-called "shadow fleet".

The key episode confirming this scheme was the event of June 20. The tanker AGNI (IMO 9314167), affiliated with the Russian shadow fleet, left the Nayara Energy oil depot. The ship carried almost 67,500 tons of oil products. The declared destination was the sector west of the Suez Canal, in the area of the Egyptian port of Port Said.

STS Transfer in Open Sea

In the specified area, the tanker AGNI was waiting for another "shadow fleet" vessel — the tanker GARNET (IMO 9577094). The goal of the meeting was an STS transfer (Ship-to-Ship), i.e., the reloading of oil products in the open sea. Such a procedure is necessary to mask the origin of the cargo and break the chain of documentary control.

During the operation, the Automatic Identification System (AIS) on the ships was turned off. Intelligence notes that turning off navigation equipment in an emergency could lead to a serious ecological disaster or accident.

After the manipulation was completed, the tanker GARNET provided false data about its status, stating that the ship was going in ballast (empty). According to the latest data from GUR, the tanker has already passed the Strait of Gibraltar. The probable destinations are the port of "Vitino" in the White Sea or one of the ports of the Baltic region.

Structure of the "Shadow Fleet"

The War&Sanctions project under GUR previously identified both mentioned ships as part of the Russian "shadow fleet".

The tanker AGNI is affiliated with the Indian company GatikShip Management. In 2022–2023, this structure was among the largest operators of the shadow fleet, ensuring the export of Russian oil bypassing Western sanctions in the interests of "Rosneft". Intelligence notes that Gatik promptly re-registered its fleet to related companies in India and the UAE, effectively creating a practice of "juggling" ships to evade sanctions.

The tanker GARNET belongs to the Seychelles firm ShantalNavigation Corp. This company is linked to the sanctioned Russian "Sovcomflot" through a number of controlled structures.

Context: Attacks on Russian Infrastructure

The transition to such complex schemes is taking place against the backdrop of the active work of Ukrainian unmanned systems forces (UAS) and the Navy, which are striking at the enemy's logistical and military infrastructure.

In particular, on July 14, the Ukrainian Navy destroyed the Russian FSB border ship "Izumrud" near Novorossiysk, attacking it with a sea drone. On July 13, the Unmanned Systems Forces struck or destroyed 1,559 unique targets of the Russian army, including 15 enemy ships.

On the night of July 10, UAS struck 13 ships of the Russian "shadow fleet" near occupied Crimea. As commanded by UAS Robert "Madyar" Brovdi, among the destroyed and damaged objects were 10 tankers, one cargo ship, one ferry, and a sea tug.