Mideast oil powerhouse bans Russian 'shadow fleet' vessels that seek to undermine sanctions

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The United Arab Emirates has pushed back on Russia’s efforts to circumvent Western sanctions through a "shadow fleet" by refusing entry to its port for any ship from the African country of Eswatini.

"Using a ‘shadow fleet’ to smuggle oil while concealing its origin, in order to circumvent Western economic sanctions has been part of Putin’s playbook of sanction-proofing Russia’s economy," Rebekah Koffler, a former DIA intelligence officer and author of "Putin’s Playbook," told Fox News Digital.

"Moscow anticipated U.S. sanctions prior to the invasion of Ukraine," Koffler said. "So, Putin has been sanction-proofing the Russian economy with several measures since 2014, when the Russian forces took over Crimea."

"The vessels comprising this dark fleet are typically aging, lack proper safety standards, lack insurance, hence they present a threat to maritime security as they can create a hazardous situation at any time," she added.

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A list of ships published by the UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure names Eswatini as the latest country to which no services from any UAE ship agents or maritime company should be provided as they "are not complying with this circular to avoid legal accountability."

"…this Administration has decided to include the vessels