“In Western sanctions, Russia is looking for alternative routes for oil and oil products export. In 2025, the Indonesian port of Karimun became the largest transshipment point of Russian oil. At the same time, the terminal is not controlled by the Indonesia authorities – the terminal is located in the country's free trade zone,” the report said.
In Ukrainian intelligence, it was noted that in the port of Karimun, Russian oil products are mixed with oil products from other countries, after which energy is considered Indonesian, and Western sanctions are not applied to them.
According to the SVR, such “Indonesian” oil products fall into Singapore, Malaysia and China.
“Since the beginning of 2025, 590 thousand tons of fuel oil were exported through Karimun from the port of Ust-Luga (Russia) (about 100 thousand tons in January-March of 2024). In addition, in 2025, about 217 thousand tons of diesel was shipped for the first time in the port of Russia; 50 thousand tons of oil; tons of diesel fuel,”- noted in the release.
The SVR also reports the arrival of at least three cargoes on tankers under the sanctions of the European Union and Great Britain in the Indonesian port in March-April.
“The intermediaries in the trade in suction goods are little -known trading companies that often change their names before they arrive at the end points of the destination,” the Ukrainian intelligence explained.
Context
Sanctions against Russia are introduced in response to its attack on Ukraine since 2014. After a full -scale invasion of Russian troops on February 24, 2022, restrictions were significantly expanded.
In early December 2022, the countries – members of the “Big Seven”, as well as Australia and the EU introduced the limitation of prices for Russian oil, setting the maximum level of $ 60 per barrel. Since February 5, 2023, these countries introduced a price ceiling on Russian oil products: $ 100 – for diesel combustible and $ 45 for various lubricants.
After the first sanctions, as the Reuters agency noted, Russian oil industry had difficulties with the search for tankers for transportation. But Russia to complete sanctions translated her oil tankers registered in Liberia and in the Marshall Islands, under the flag of Gabon (before that, the USA, the EU and the UK The island of liability for violation of the sanctions regime warned Liberia and the Marshalls of the island)and also secretly overloaded oil from suction tankers to other vessels.
As of December 12, 2024, Ukrainian intelligence identified 238 ships of the “shadow fleet” of the Russian Federation, which the invaders use to circumvent price restrictions. The EU imposed sanctions against part of the vessels transporting Russian oil. Sanctions introduced and United Kingdom.
On January 10, 2025, the United States announced large-scale sanctions against the Russian energy sector, in particular against 184 tankers of the exami-aggressor country, as well as against the two largest Russian oil companies-Gazprom Nefteftegaz. On the same day, these two companies were brought into their sanctions lists by the UK.
On February 5, the sanctions against the captains of the “shadow fleet” of the Russian Federation were imposed by Ukraine.
