What is Russia’s shadow fleet and how is it helping Putin wage war in Ukraine?

Gonzalo Saiz Erausquin, part of a maritime sanctions taskforce at national security think tank Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), told the International Bar Association: “The challenge with the shadow fleet is that ownership is very opaque.” He said while disruption and new designations make it harder for Russia to get around the rules, there is still a risk of “just forcing them to another alternative structure or jurisdiction”. “Another issue is flag hopping, if a vessel is spotted to be flagged to one jurisdiction, it will just register with another to camouflage its operations,” he said.