While the world is focused on the news from the frontline, where Ukraine is desperately defending its territory, another, less visible form of aggression is taking place on the temporarily occupied Ukrainian lands &ndash; resource colonization.

With the majority of russia&rsquo;s coal production capacity being concentrated in Kemerovo region (up to 60 % of hard coal, 80 % of coking coal, and 100 % of certain high-value coal grades), russian companies are interested in coal from the temporarily occupied areas of the Ukrainian Donbas.

Mariupol, which was a powerful center of Ukraine&rsquo;s metallurgy and coal industry before the occupation, found itself in a cynical resource colonization in 2024-2025: russia is exporting coking coal (used as fuel for thermal generation) from the temporarily occupied territories from the city&rsquo;s port on an industrial scale, using Ukrainian mineral resources to fuel its own economy that works for the war.

This phenomenon is not an accident or &ldquo;accidental business&rdquo;. It is a goal-oriented strategy of economic exploitation of the occupied territories, which from the legal point of view is violation of international law and the rules of warfare enshrined in the Hague Conventions. The terrorist country has created its own &ldquo;black economy&rdquo; on the bones of the captured city.

For example, the ALFA-1 vessel exported more than&nbsp;20 thousand tons&nbsp;of coking coal during the specified period of time; the ALFA M vessel exported about&nbsp;40 thousand tons; the ALPHA HERMES &ndash; more than&nbsp;5 thousand tons; the VICTORIA K &ndash; more than&nbsp;20 thousand tons; the VICTORIA V &ndash; more than&nbsp;35 thousand&nbsp;tons&nbsp;(120 thousand tons&nbsp;in total). This figure is equal to the value enough for producing thousands of tons of steel used to make armored vehicles, ammunition and warships.

Learn more about these vessels:

Vessel ALFA-1: IMO No. 9045601, flag &ndash; rf, port of registration &ndash; Taganrog, MMSI - 273610370, call sign &ndash; UBTY2, deadweight &ndash; 8764 tons, type of vessel &ndash; bulk carrier (for transportation of general cargo), classification society &ndash; russian maritime register of shipping, registration number &ndash; 877048, owner of the vessel &ndash; Nika Shipping LLC (so-called &ldquo;dpr&rdquo;, Donetsk, OGRN 1239300003304, TIN 9303032939), the operating company &ndash; Krechet LLC (rf, Rostov-on-Don, OGRN 1206100003163, TIN 6167197524, IMO No. 6328936), the ship&#39;s insurer &ndash; VSK Insurance Joint Stock Company (rf, moscow, TIN 7710026574, OGRN&nbsp;1027700186062).

Vessel ALFA M: IMO No. 9419084, flag &ndash; rf, registration number of the russian maritime register of shipping &ndash; 050692, owner of the vessel &ndash; Nika Shipping LLC (the so-called &ldquo;dpr&rdquo;, Donetsk, OGRN 1239300003304, TIN 9303032939), operating company &ndash; Krechet LLC (rf, Rostov-on-Don, OGRN 1206100003163, TIN 6167197524, IMO No. 6328936), insurer &ndash; VSK Insurance Joint Stock Company (rf, moscow, TIN 7710026574, OGRN 1027700186062).

Vessel ALPHA HERMES, IMO No. 9924352, flag &ndash; rf, port of registration &ndash; Taganrog, call sign &ndash; UBDW5, MMSI &ndash; 273294550, deadweight &ndash; 8163 tons, type of vessel &ndash; bulk carrier (for general cargo), classification society &ndash; russian maritime register of shipping, registration number &ndash; 200106, owner and operating company &ndash; Alfa LLC (rf, Rostov-on-Don, OGRN 1166196058160, TIN 6164106688, IMO No. 6177581), the vessel&rsquo;s insurer &ndash; JSC Group of Insurance Companies Yugoria (rf, Khanty-Mansiysk).

Vessel VICTORIA K, IMO No. 1041348, flag &ndash; rf, port of registration &ndash; Taganrog, MMSI &ndash; 273253950, call sign &ndash; UALA7, deadweight &ndash; 7847.2 tons, type of vessel &ndash; bulk carrier (for transportation of general cargo), classification society &ndash; russian maritime register of shipping, ship&rsquo;s registration number &ndash; 191316, owner of the vessel &ndash; LLC &ldquo;Production and Commercial Firm &ldquo;SIBMARKET&rdquo; (rf, Irkutsk, OGRN 1183850006262, TIN 3812522292), the operating company &ndash; KRECHET LLC (rf, Rostov-on-Don, TIN 6167197524, OGRN 1206100003163), the ship&rsquo;s insurer &ndash; VSK Insurance Joint Stock Company (rf, moscow, TIN 7710026574, OGRN 1027700186062).

Vessel VICTORIA V, flag &ndash; rf, IMO No. 9454125, MMSI &ndash; 273253030, call sign &ndash; UAWA2, deadweight &ndash; 7546.8 tons, type of vessel &ndash; bulker (for bulk cargo), classification society &ndash; russian maritime register of shipping, registration number &ndash; 061292, owner of the vessel &ndash; LLC &ldquo;Production and Commercial Firm &ldquo;Sibmarket&rdquo; (rf, Irkutsk). Irkutsk, OGRN 1183850006262, TIN 3812522292), the operating company &ndash; Krechet LLC (rf, Rostov-on-Don, TIN 6167197524, OGRN 1206100003163), the insurer &ndash; VSK Insurance Joint Stock Company (rf, moscow, TIN 7710026574, OGRN 1027700186062).

Among the russian companies involved in the illegal export of coal from the TOT of Ukraine: Nika Shipping LLC, PCF Sibmarket LLC, and Alfa LLC.

The export of coking coal from the TOT of Ukraine is not just another episode of economic exploitation in war time, but a goal-oriented strategy of resource colonization. russia is on the system level turning the occupied Ukrainian territories into a source of raw materials to support its own economy, which directly supports its military aggression.

This practice grossly violates the norms of international humanitarian law, including the 1907 Hague Convention, which prohibits the use of the resources of the occupied territories for the benefit of the occupier without the consent of the legitimate authorities. At the same time, impunity for such actions encourages further exploitation of Ukrainian mineral resources and strengthens the economic resilience of russia&rsquo;s war machine.

The resource colonization of the TOT of Ukraine is yet another evidence that the war continues not only on the battlefield, but also in the economy, trade, and international law. And Ukraine&rsquo;s victory in this war is impossible without protecting its economic sovereignty.

The Black Route of Occupation: the Ships Transporting Ukrainian Coal from Mariupol to russia

The resource colonization of the TOT of Ukraine is yet another evidence that the war continues not only on the battlefield, but also in the economy, trade, and international law. And Ukraine’s victory in this war is impossible without protecting its economic sovereignty.

Ukrainian intelligence has identified the captain of the oil embargo-breaking tanker FACCA, a part of Russia&rsquo;s so-called &laquo;shadow fleet&raquo; of oil tankers. The captain is Georgian citizen Giorgi Devadze.

Devadze, 47, served as the captain of the FACCA tanker, sailing under Panama&rsquo;s flag, with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) identifier 9271951, as of April, according to the data. Ukraine&rsquo;s intelligence has been identifying captains operating Russia&rsquo;s &laquo;shadow fleet&raquo;, which helps Moscow circumvent Western sanctions and maintain its oil revenue. According to the intelligence agency, Devadze comes from Khelvachauri, a city in Georgia. He graduated from the Batumi State Maritime Academy with a degree in navigation and had extensive experience on Handymax and Panamax tankers.

The FACCA tanker was sanctioned for carrying Russian oil by the U.K. in December 2024, Canada and the EU in February 2025, and Switzerland in March, according to the register of Russia&#39;s &laquo;shadow fleet&raquo;.

The oil embargo imposed by the G7 countries, along with the EU and Australia, in 2022 to reduce Russia&rsquo;s income from energy exports prohibits maritime transportation and insurance of Russian oil if it is sold for more than $60 per barrel. Vessels and their masters that violate the ban may also become subject to sanctions. Aside from the oil embargo violation, the FACCA tanker, built in 2004, may pose a risk of an accident and oil spill at sea, as it has already happened with old Russia-operated tankers.

The age of the vessel &laquo;is already a violation of the rules for safe operation of tankers and an argument in favor of additional sanctions&raquo;.

Giorgi Devadze – a Georgian Mankurt in the Service of the russian Oil Fleet

Ukrainian intelligence has identified the captain of the oil embargo-breaking tanker FACCA, a part of Russia’s so-called «shadow fleet» of oil tankers. The captain is Georgian citizen Giorgi Devadze.

Today, majority of European countries have faced acts of sabotage, subversion, espionage and disinformation &ndash; the result of activity of russian secret services. Intensified activity of special services of the rf is recorded against Baltic countries. For example, in the Republic of Latvia alone, recently five citizens of russia committed a number of crimes with a clear aim to destabilize the situation in the country.

In March 2025, a 34-year-old citizen of the rf with a temporary residence permit was detained and arrested for transportation of illegal migrants across the state border. Also were stopped the attempts of the 41-year-old citizen of the rf to organize taking photos of facilities with limited access in Daugavpils.

Last month the City Court of Riga sentenced to imprisonment three people who committed arson of the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia. Diversionists Konstantin Engels, Vitaly Lukyanovich and Valentin Razmerits had criminal past. For monetary reward they set fire to that particular building which symbolizes the struggle of Latvians for independence against the totalitarian regime of the ussr &ndash; the descendant of which is the rf.

A little earlier a citizen of russia &ndash; head of the Latvian-russian cooperation association Boris Katkov &ndash; was expelled from Latvia.

A former military serviceman for more than 25 years had served on the territory of the Latvian soviet socialist republic. After the ussr collapsed in 1991, he retired from the armed forces and got actively involved in political activity in favor of the rf, for which in 2000 he was granted russian citizenship. The association he headed, systemically worked for state and political organizations of russia, for the pro-putin &ldquo;united russia&rdquo; included.

A Latvian court has sentenced to eight years in prison another russian &ldquo;spy can&rdquo; (undercover agent &ndash; Transl.), a former soviet military, who in 1991 remained to live in the country. Having received russian citizenship, he felt confident and directly resorted to espionage for the rf &ndash; collecting information on critical infrastructure and military facilities around Riga airport, monitoring the territory of the unit of the National Guard of Latvia. During trips to kaliningrad, he handed the collected information to russian intelligence service.

The rf Conducts Active Intelligence and Subversive Activities in the Countries of the European Union

Today, majority of European countries have faced acts of sabotage, subversion, espionage and disinformation – the result of activity of russian secret services. Intensified activity of special services of the rf is recorded against Baltic countries. For example, in the Republic of Latvia alone, recently five citizens of russia committed a number of crimes with a clear aim to destabilize the situation in the country.

The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine continues operations to stop the activities of vessels of the &ldquo;shadow&rdquo; fleet of russia and companies cooperating with moscow. It has been found out that the kremlin uses tankers owned by Greek citizens or operated by Greek companies to finance the war against Ukraine.

For example, the Greek company Latsco Marine Management Inc. is the beneficial owner and operator of the tankers&nbsp;HELLAS FIGHTER (IMO 9722625) and HELLAS AVATAR (IMO 9722613).&nbsp;The former, having been loaded on March 7 this year in the russian port of Primorsk, is heading for the Brazilian port of Suapi. The latter was also loaded in Primorsk on March 22, and is now moving along the coast of Portugal. Both vessels fly the flag of Malta &ndash; an EU member state, and are insured by The Swedish Club, a member of the P&amp;I Club.

Besides, companies controlled by the well-known Greek shipowner Evangelos Marinakis, are also involved in the transportation of russian oil. Marinakis is already subject to journaliss&rsquo; attention in the context of his business&rsquo; involvement in the transportation of russian oil. Since March 21, the tanker&nbsp;AKRISIOS (IMO 9953456), flying the Greek flag, has been moving from the port of Primorsk to the Brazilian port of Itaki. The beneficial owner of the tanker is Capital Ship Management Corp., and the operator is Capital Maritime&amp;Trading Corp. The vessel is insured by Steamship Mutual.

At the same time, right now, the tanker&nbsp;AGIOS GERASIMOS (IMO 9693056), owned and operated by the Greek company Eastern Mediterranean maritime Ltd, is sailing from Prymorsk under Malta&rsquo;s flag. The vessel is insured by the British insurer NorthStandard P&amp;I Association. It has to have delivered oil to the Indian port of Mundra by April 30.

Another participant in this scheme is the tanker&nbsp;PORTOFINO (IMO 9564671), owned and operated by the Greek company Alberta Shipmanagement Ltd., which since March 18 has been sailing to the Turkish port of Marmara-Ereglisi. During the year, this vessel carried out 35 STS operations and repeatedly turned off the AIS system. Despite the russian origin of the oil, the tanker was insured by the UK P&amp;I Club.

All tankers have valid P&amp;I Clubs&rsquo; insurance, renewed in February this year and valid until 2026. This allows them to freely enter international ports, have the ship serviced and continue their commercial activity, which contributes to the rf&rsquo;s budget.

By providing insurance to the vessels of the &ldquo;shadow&rdquo; fleet of the rf, P&amp;I Clubs help russia to receive profits from oil and gas exports, and thus indirectly contribute to the continuation of its armed aggression against Ukraine.

Tanker transportation serving russian exports under the EU flags or by ships owned by companies registered in Europe will soon be suspended. In an interview with Fox News, United State&rsquo;s Special Envoy for Ukraine K. Kellogg acknowledged the importance of fighting russia&rsquo;s &ldquo;shadow&rdquo; fleet. The White House increasingly realizes that the kremlin, as always, is playing a foul game. Therefore, another blow by Western countries led by the United States to the russian oil industry is a matter of the near future.

Companies in Europe that do business with russia will definitely face a choice: to give up cooperation with moscow or to share the responsibility for actually sponsoring putin&rsquo;s war machine that is waging a war of aggression against Ukraine.

“Shadow” Routes of the War: European Companies Detected in russian Maritime Schemes

The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine continues operations to stop the activities of vessels of the “shadow” fleet of russia and companies cooperating with moscow. It has been found out that the kremlin uses tankers owned by Greek citizens or operated by Greek companies to finance the war against Ukraine.

Since the beginning of russia&#39;s occupation of the territory of the East and South of Ukraine, russian troops have been looting and robbing, while representatives of the occupation authorities have been &ldquo;hogging&rdquo; businesses, taking away industrial equipment and agricultural machinery.

Under the auspices of the kremlin, a scheme has been set up for the illegal export and sale of agricultural products grown in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. This allows russia to annually export about 3 million tons of grain from the temporarily occupied territories of our country, mainly to Africa and the Middle East, first of all to Egypt and Syria (the former Assad regime used to buy about 40% of grain from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine).

To date, the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine has formed an evidence base on 39 bulk carriers involved in illegal operations with Ukrainian grain. Besides, intelligence has identified more than 80 captains (mostly citizens of russia) who are in charge of this fleet.

A captain of the &ldquo;grain fleet&rdquo; is a key person in the transportation operation. De facto, he is the link between the seller and the buyer and has full information about the goods transported by the ship. Bringing them to justice is only a matter of time.

The captains of the grain carriers involved by russia in the illegal activities, knowingly violate international rules of navigation. They falsify data in route logs, disregard the safety of the crew by ordering the vessel&rsquo;s AIS positioning system to be turned off while in the territorial waters and ports of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

Precedents have already been set for sanctioning vessels and captains involved in the sale of grain from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine to third-country markets. In 2024, the EU Council imposed restrictions on four bulk carriers, including the San Damian, San Cosmos, San Severus, and Yenisei, for their involvement in the illegal export of grain from the occupied Ukrainian territories. In April 2025, the OFAC sanctioned russian citizens Yuri Vladimirovich Belyakov and Vyacheslav Vladimirovich Vidanov, who at different times were captains of the Zafar bulk carrier that delivered 100,000 tons of wheat to Yemen.

The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine continues to work on countering illegal trade in stolen Ukrainian grain. Every captain involved in such operations should know that eventually he will be able to sail no further than the Taganrog Strait.

FISU Exposes Captains-Carriers of Stolen Ukrainian Grain

The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine continues to work on countering illegal trade in stolen Ukrainian grain. Every captain involved in such operations should know that eventually he will be able to sail no further than the Taganrog Strait.

The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine continues to expose the schemes of the &ldquo;shadow fleet&rdquo; of the rf. As you know, its operation directly meets the kremlin&rsquo;s financial needs to wage war against Ukraine. Anyone who participates in the activities of the russian &ldquo;shadow fleet&rdquo; is an accomplice in russia&rsquo;s armed aggression against our country.

Among them there are the captains of the &ldquo;shadow fleet&rdquo; vessels who knowingly agree to help fill the russian treasury with &ldquo;bloody&rdquo; petrodollars. By entering into an agreement with the aggressor, they voluntarily commit a number of crimes and offenses that help the kremlin circumvent sanctions. Captains of the &ldquo;shadow fleet&rdquo; of the rf turn off automatic identification systems (AIS), carry out extremely dangerous for ecology transshipment of oil to other vessels (STS), and operate tankers with improper insurance. These and other actions are violations of the requirements of Points 1, 3 and 6 of Article 1 of IMO Resolution A.1192 (33).

Ukrainian Intelligence identifies and monitors captains of vessels of the &ldquo;shadow fleet&rdquo; of the rf. A striking example is the activities of the captain of the tanker BODHI (IMO 9144782, under UK and EU sanctions), a russian citizen, DMITRIY BONDYUK. On January 11, 2025, the vessel under his command left the port of Tuapse (The Black Sea) with a cargo of russian oil products in the amount of 65.1 thousand tons, heading for Singapore. At the moment, the tanker is moving through the South China Sea towards its destination &ndash; the port of Yantai (China).

Briefly about the person in question: dmitriy bondyuk was born on June 15, 1985 in Novorossiysk. He has an internal passport of a citizen of the rf No. 0305859790 issued by the department of internal affairs of Primorskiy district of Novorossiysk, Krasnodar Krai, on July 5, 2005, and a passport for travelling abroad No. 764677941. His phone number is +79034538549. bondyuk has two e-mail addresses: bond0085@list.ru and bda85@inbox.ru. Lives at the following address: 7, Tenistaya St., Novorossiysk, Krasnodar Krai.

The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine is already monitoring more than 300 captains of the &ldquo;shadow fleet&rdquo; of the rf, and this number is constantly increasing. Thanks to this, in the near future it is planned to increase sanctions pressure on both the &ldquo;shadow fleet&rdquo; of the rf and its captains, such as d. bondyuk.

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FISU Exposes: “Sailing into Shame” or Captains Who Sell Honor for Sanctioned Oil

The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine continues to expose the schemes of the “shadow fleet” of the rf.

The Black Route of Occupation: the Ships Transporting Ukrainian Coal from Mariupol to russia

The resource colonization of the TOT of Ukraine is yet another evidence that the war continues not only on the battlefield, but also in the economy, trade, and international law. And Ukraine’s victory in this war is impossible without protecting its economic sovereignty.

4/22/2025

Giorgi Devadze – a Georgian Mankurt in the Service of the russian Oil Fleet

Ukrainian intelligence has identified the captain of the oil embargo-breaking tanker FACCA, a part of Russia’s so-called «shadow fleet» of oil tankers. The captain is Georgian citizen Giorgi Devadze.

4/18/2025

The rf Conducts Active Intelligence and Subversive Activities in the Countries of the European Union

4/11/2025

“Shadow” Routes of the War: European Companies Detected in russian Maritime Schemes

4/10/2025

FISU Exposes Captains-Carriers of Stolen Ukrainian Grain

The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine continues to work on countering illegal trade in stolen Ukrainian grain. Every captain involved in such operations should know that eventually he will be able to sail no further than the Taganrog Strait.

4/8/2025

FISU Exposes: “Sailing into Shame” or Captains Who Sell Honor for Sanctioned Oil

The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine continues to expose the schemes of the “shadow fleet” of the rf.

4/5/2025