Russia's shadow fleet lets it avoid sanctions and keep exporting oil

WBUR | By Here & Now Newsroom

Published November 26, 2025 at 10:55 AM CST

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The tanker Boracay that allegedly belongs to Russia's so-called shadow fleet, is seen Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, off Saint-Nazaire, France's Atlantic coast. (Mathieu Pattier/AP)

Russia has amassed a shadow fleet of oil tankers that allows it to skirt around sanctions and continue to export oil to customers around the world.

Here & Now‘s Scott Tong speaks with Robin Brooks, a senior fellow in global economy and development at the Brookings Institution, about how this shadow fleet was created and how it’s able to maintain energy exports.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.