Latest news with #Russian-flagged
Irish Post
24-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Post
Irish EEZ passed through hundreds of times by Russian shadow fleet
450 transits by suspected Russian 'shadow fleet' vessels have been recorded in Irish waters in the first seven months of this year. According to satellite data from maritime intelligence firm Windward, nearly 250 ships believed to be part of the covert fleet passed through Ireland's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) between January and July. The vessels are linked to efforts by Russia to sidestep EU and US sanctions imposed in response to its invasion of Ukraine. These sanctions target the export of Russian oil, which continues to fund the country's war effort. Many of the tankers are described by Windward analysts as ageing, under-maintained, and lacking proper insurance. They often operate under 'flags of convenience' from countries like Liberia, Panama, Malta, and the Marshall Islands, jurisdictions known for minimal oversight. Windward's analysis found that more than 70 of the ships that transited through Irish waters were directly listed in EU and US sanctions databases. During the first five months of the year alone, 40 vessels had clear Russian ties, including several flying the Russian flag and others owned by Russian companies. Their passage through Irish waters, often without docking, has raised the alarm among maritime experts and political observers. Ireland's EEZ, which stretches around 370 km off the west coast, is a critical maritime zone with several major international shipping lanes and undersea cables. Experts warn that the continued movement of these ships through Irish waters undermines international efforts to isolate Russia economically. 'These ships are like vehicles on Irish roads without an NCT or insurance,' said Tony Cudmore, a retired brigadier general with the Irish Defence Forces, to RTE. 'They're poorly maintained, possibly crewed by underqualified personnel, and pose a real danger—not just to the environment, but to Irish sovereignty.' Some shadow fleet vessels have been linked to damage to subsea infrastructure, particularly in the Baltic Sea. Recent examples include Sweden seizing a ship suspected of damaging a cable linking the country with Latvia, at the beginning of the year. Furthermore NATO launched its new 'Baltic Sea Mission' this year, after numerous cables were damaged in 2024. Another example is an open investigation by Finland, into suspected Russian sabotage into cables damaged between their country and Estonia. There are worries that similar incidents could happen off the Irish coast, where undersea cables are vital to global communications and trade. Several of the ships tracked this year have engaged in suspicious or high-risk behaviour, including turning off their location transponders or conducting ship-to-ship oil transfers. One such vessel, the Valentin Pikul, passed through Irish waters in March and was later involved in oil transfers near Murmansk. Others, including the Russian-flagged Bratsk, Belgorod, and Primorye, were recorded going 'dark' for periods while navigating near Donegal, Clare, and off the western seaboard according to Windward. The Irish Defence Forces said they monitor maritime activity continuously and share intelligence with national and international partners. The Irish Coast Guard, through its search and rescue and pollution response roles, also tracks ship movements and has detected multiple sanctioned Russian vessels in Irish waters since the start of the year, according to RTE A recent EU directive requires all vessels transiting through EU EEZs, including Ireland's, to provide valid proof of insurance, even if they don't dock. However, enforcement of such rules remains challenging. Earlier this year, German authorities seized a Panama-flagged tanker off the Baltic coast carrying 100,000 tonnes of Russian oil. The incident has been cited as an example of the type of enforcement Ireland could pursue. Despite sanctions from the EU, Britain and the US, including bans on over 400 Russian-linked tankers, Russia's oil export levels have remained relatively stable. The International Energy Agency reported an average of 7.5 million barrels per day exported in 2024, only slightly down from pre-war figures. Professor John O'Brennan of Maynooth University said the persistence of shadow fleet operations highlights a gap in enforcement across EU member states. 'Russia has successfully exploited inconsistent national responses,' he said. 'If countries like Ireland don't step up their enforcement efforts, these vessels will continue to slip through the cracks.'
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russia ships weapons to Africa, violating sanctions, AP reports
Russia has been shipping weapons to conflict zones in West Africa in violation of international sanctions, the Associated Press (AP) reported on June 10, citing radio signals, satellite images, and military officials. The deliveries represent another sign of Russia's expanding military footprint in African nations. Russian-flagged cargo ships delivered howitzers, radio jammers, and other military equipment to a port in Guinea in late May after a month-long voyage from the Baltic Sea, the AP reported. Other ships made deliveries to the same port in January, carrying armored vehicles and tanks. Some of the vessels involved in the shipments, including Russia's Baltic Leader and Patria, are on Western sanctions lists. The weapons delivered to Guinea were then carried in trucks to neighboring Mali, European military officials told the AP. The outlet analyzed video footage from a Malian blogger to verify the report. Footage analyzed by the AP identified Russian-made 152 mm artillery guns, small cannons, and a BTR-80 armored troop carrier equipped with radio-jamming devices entering Mali. The delivery also included tanker trucks and semi-inflatable boats, one marked with a painted Russian flag. Read also: US warns 'serious consequences' over Russian naval base plans in Sudan According to military officials, most of the weapons were likely delivered not to the Malian Armed Forces but to Russia's "Africa Corps," a paramilitary group controlled by the Russian Defense Ministry. Russian mercenaries, including the notorious Wagner Group, have fought alongside Malian government forces since 2021, in attempts to fend off Islamic insurgents. The Wagner Group announced its withdrawal from Mali on June 6, but Africa Corps intends to maintain an active presence in the country. Satellite images from the Bamako air base indicate that Africa Corps also has at least one Su-24 bomber, the AP reported. Wagner forces in Mali have been sanctioned for alleged war crimes and widespread looting. In December 2024, Human Rights Watch accused Wagner mercenaries and Malian government forces of deliberately killing 32 civilians. Wagner mercenaries and Malian soldiers have also reportedly suffered heavy losses in their engagements with Tuareg-led rebels. After a short-lived rebellion against Moscow led by former Wagner Commander Yevgeny Prigozhin in June 2023, Russia sought to tighten its control over operations in Africa — the majority of which were led by Wagner forces. The influx of Russian weapons into Mali is likely accelerating Africa Corps' rise over Wagner in the region, officials and experts told the AP. The weaponry could also help prevent Russian forces in Africa from suffering the kinds of heavy losses incurred last summer. Read also: In African universities, Russia's war against Ukraine finds new supporters We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Time of India
10-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Russia skirts Western sanctions to ramp up its military footprint in Africa
This satellite image provided by Planet Labs PBC shows trucks lined up on a dock as the Russian-flagged cargo ship, Siyanie Severa, unloads its cargo, May 29, 2025, in Bata, Equatorial Guinea. (Planet Labs PBC via AP) Even as it pounds Ukraine, Russia is expanding its military footprint in Africa, delivering sophisticated weaponry to sub-Saharan conflict zones where a Kremlin-controlled armed force is on the rise. Skirting sanctions imposed by Western nations, Moscow is using cargo ships to send tanks, armoured vehicles, artillery and other high-value equipment to West Africa, The Associated Press has found. Relying on satellite imagery and radio signals, AP tracked a convoy of Russian-flagged cargo ships as they made a nearly one-month journey from the Baltic Sea. The ships carried howitzers, radio jamming equipment and other military hardware, according to military officials in Europe who closely monitored them. The deliveries could strengthen Russia's fledgling Africa Corps as Moscow competes with the United States, Europe and China for greater influence across the continent. The two-year-old Africa Corps, which has links to a covert branch of Russia's army, is ascendant at a time when US and European troops have been withdrawing from the region, forced out by sub-Saharan nations turning to Russia for security. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have been battling fighters linked with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group for more than a decade. At first, mercenary groups with an arms-length relationship to the Kremlin entered the fray in Africa. But increasingly, Russia is deploying its military might, and intelligence services, more directly. "We intend to expand our cooperation with African countries in all spheres, with an emphasis on economic cooperation and investments," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. "This cooperation includes sensitive areas linked to defense and security." From the ports, Russian weapons are trucked to Mali Russia's 8,800-tonne Baltic Leader and 5,800-tonne Patria are among hundreds of ships that Western nations have sanctioned to choke off resources for Russia's war in Ukraine. The ships docked and unloaded in Conakry, Guinea, in late May, AP satellite images showed. Other ships made deliveries to the same port in January. They delivered tanks, armoured vehicles and other hardware that was then trucked overland to neighbouring Mali, according to European military officials and a Malian blogger's video of the long convoy. The military officials spoke to AP about Russian operations on condition of anonymity. The AP verified the blogger's video, geolocating it to the RN5 highway leading into Bamako, the Malian capital. After the latest delivery in Conakry, trucks carrying Russian-made armoured vehicles, howitzers and other equipment were again spotted on the overland route to Mali. Malian broadcaster ORTM confirmed that the West African nation's army took delivery of new military equipment.
Toronto Star
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Russia skirts Western sanctions to ramp up its military footprint in Africa
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Even as it pounds Ukraine, Russia is expanding its military footprint in Africa, delivering sophisticated weaponry to sub-Saharan conflict zones where a Kremlin-controlled armed force is on the rise. Skirting sanctions imposed by Western nations, Moscow is using cargo ships to send tanks, armored vehicles, artillery and other high-value equipment to West Africa, The Associated Press has found. Relying on satellite imagery and radio signals, AP tracked a convoy of Russian-flagged cargo ships as they made a nearly one-month journey from the Baltic Sea. The ships carried howitzers, radio jamming equipment and other military hardware, according to military officials in Europe who closely monitored them. The deliveries could strengthen Russia's fledgling Africa Corps as Moscow competes with the United States, Europe and China for greater influence across the continent.
Iraqi News
05-06-2025
- General
- Iraqi News
North Korea's Kim vows 'unconditional support' for Russia's war in Ukraine
INA- SOURCES North Korea has become one of Moscow's main allies during its more than three-year Ukraine offensive, sending thousands of troops and container-loads of weapons to help the Kremlin oust Ukrainian forces from Russia's Kursk border region. Meeting top Russian security official Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday, Kim said that Pyongyang would "unconditionally support the stand of Russia and its foreign policies in all the crucial international political issues including the Ukrainian issue", the Korean Central News Agency reported. Kim "expressed expectation and conviction that Russia would, as ever, surely win victory in the sacred cause of justice", KCNA said. The two sides agreed to "continue to dynamically expand" relations, the state news agency reported. Russia and North Korea signed a sweeping military deal last year, including a mutual defence clause, during a rare visit by Russian leader Vladimir Putin to the nuclear-armed North. Shoigu hailed the deal as "fully meeting the interests of both countries" during a visit in March. Around 600 North Korean soldiers have been killed and thousands more wounded fighting for Russia, according to South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun, citing the country's intelligence service. North Korea in April confirmed for the first time that it had deployed troops to Russia to support Moscow's war in Ukraine -- and admitted that its troops had been killed in combat. South Korea has also accused the nuclear-armed North of sending significant volumes of weapons, including missiles, to help Russia's war effort. The visit was Shoigu's second to Pyongyang in less than three months. Deepening ties A multilateral sanctions monitoring group including South Korea, the United States, Japan and eight other countries last week condemned ties between Russia and North Korea as "unlawful". According to the group, Russian-flagged cargo vessels delivered as many as "nine million rounds of mixed artillery and multiple rocket launcher ammunition" from North Korea to Russia last year. In return, "Russia is believed to have provided North Korea with air defence equipment and anti-aircraft missiles", it said. The meeting between Kim and Shoigu in Pyongyang came the same day the North's arch-enemy South Korea swore in new president Lee Jae-myung. In a speech upon taking office Wednesday, Lee vowed to reach out to the North -- a marked departure from his hawkish predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol, under whom relations plummeted to their worst level in years. Lee said Seoul would "deter North Korean nuclear and military provocations while opening communication channels and pursuing dialogue and cooperation to build peace on the Korean Peninsula". KCNA reported on Lee's inauguration in a two-line report on Thursday but did not respond to his overtures for talks. It also issued a commentary Thursday slamming French President Emmanuel Macron over "imprudent" comments on Pyongyang's ties with Moscow, calling them "shocking claptrap". The commentary by analyst Choe Ju Hyun took aim at comments by the French leader during the recent Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. Macron suggested that the NATO defence alliance could become involved in Asia if China did not do more to press North Korea to stop sending forces to help Russia's war in Ukraine. "It is a mistake if Macron thinks that he can cloak NATO's aggressive and wicked intention to put dirty military shoes on the Asia-Pacific region by taking issue with the DPRK-Russia cooperative relations," the commentary said, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
