The Brussels Office of the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM) and RUSI Europe are pleased to invite you to a closed-door seminar on ways to disrupt the operations of Russia’s shadow fleet.                              

Reaching the “Invisible”:
How to Counter the Russian Shadow Fleet

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Tuesday, 9 June 2026, 12:30-14:00
Business & Science Poland,
Rue Belliard 40, 5th floor
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In response to G7+ sanctions Russia has deployed approximately 700 ageing tankers that operate outside international maritime standards. The shadow fleet has become a key mechanism for mitigating the impact of Western sanctions, while simultaneously generating significant environmental and security risks on a global scale. Old, poorly maintained, and often uninsured vessels are more prone to collisions and spills. Documented leaks and allegations of sabotage and intelligence gathering underscore the threat, especially in regions with dense subsea infrastructure.

Efforts to curb Russia’s shadow fleet have evolved into a multilayered enforcement architecture encompassing international coalitions, regional security frameworks and national-level actions. The seminar will examine the evolution and effectiveness of these measures, with particular attention to lessons learned from the G7+ coalition’s sanctions targeting the oil sector and the shadow fleet. The discussion will address key enforcement challenges.

The debate will be informed by insights from the PISM latest report “Russia’s Shadow Fleet under Pressure: Boosting the Impact of Western Sanctions” as well as analyses by RUSI. For the latest work of RUSI on sanctions, please visit the website of the Centre for Finance and Security (CFS) at RUSI. PISM is a member of the European Sanctions and Illicit Finance Monitoring and Analysis Network (SIFMANet), led by CFS at RUSI.

Agenda:

12:00-12:30​    Arrivals. Sandwich lunch

12:30-12:35    Welcome and opening remarks

• Melchior Szczepanik, Head of Brussels Office, PISM

12:35-12:45​    Keynote speech

• Andrzej Halicki, MEP, Poland, Vice-Chair of the EPP Group

12:45-13:30​​    Panel Discussion

• Elżbieta Kaca, Head of International Sanctions Project, PISM
• Tymon Pastucha, Energy Policy Analyst, PISM
• Gonzalo Saiz Erausquin, Research Fellow, CFS Europe, RUSI Europe
• Pierre-Arnaud Lotton, Sanctions Unit, DG FISMA, European Commission
• Michelle Wiese Bockmann, Senior Maritime Intelligence Analyst at Windward (tbc)

Moderator: Kinga Redłowska, Head of CFS Europe, RUSI Europe

13:30-14:00​​    Exchange of views with participants

The event will be held off the record and will not be attributable.

To confirm attendance and for any inquiries, please reply to brusselsoffice@pism.pl by 2 June.