Seven Russian tankers shipping diesel to US identified, located
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The identity and location of seven Russian tankers transporting 288,000 metric tons of diesel to the U.S. were announced by Greenpeace Ukraine on Oct. 29.
Following U.S. President Donald Trump suspending sanctions on Russian oil exports, a live tracker map developed by Greenpeace, an international environmental organization, shows Russian tankers currently moving across the Atlantic Ocean, with one vessel approaching the U.S. East Coast.
“Every shipment of Russian diesel comes at a human cost," Polina Kolodiazhna, energy campaigner at Greenpeace Ukraine, said in a statement. "Every dollar flowing into Russia risks fueling more attacks, more destruction and more deaths. These shipments also undermine the international sanctions regime and send a dangerous message that business with Russia can continue as usual, even as its war against Ukraine rages on."
Greenpeace Ukraine identified the tankers as the Taurus, Pvt Azura, Agioi Fanendes, Talisman, Leruo, Iblea, and Primorye. Three of these vessels, the Talisman, Leruo, and Primorye, are currently sanctioned by multiple countries as part of Russia's "shadow fleet" illegally exporting oil, according to Ukraine's war sanctions portal. The Talisman has been under U.S. sanctions since January 2025.
The ships are expected to arrive in the U.S. in early November, though it is not known at which ports they will arrive.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Sept. 28 restricting access to data on the country's oil refineries and energy exports amid Ukrainian campaigns against Russia's oil infrastructure. The decree added another layer of secrecy to Russian exports, helping shadow fleet vessels evade sanctions.
On Oct. 9, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he was temporarily allowing the sale of Russian diesel in the country in an attempt to lower oil costs heightened by the war with Iran. The move spurred international backlash from Ukraine and its allies, as well as lawmakers in the U.S.
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, issued a warning on Oct. 28 to a shipping company transporting the Russian diesel to the United States: turn back, or risk violating U.S. sanctions law.
Blumenthal says that diesel shipments are banned under the 2022 Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act, signed into law by former President Joe Biden following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Trump's diesel deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin does not "supersede clear, unambiguous law," Blumenthal argued.
On Oct. 29, New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, told KYW Newsradio that she was considering blocking the Russian tankers from entering the state's ports.
“Donald Trump isn't doing anything to bring down gas prices, diesel prices, or costs," Sherrill said. "Instead, he is lining Vladimir Putin's pockets at the expense of American consumers and our democratic ally Ukraine. Make no mistake: Trump's diesel deal with Putin is corrupt and illegal, and I am evaluating options to stop it from arriving at a port in New Jersey.”
