The NDR and WDR channels in Germany revealed that the Russian shadow fleet that exports Russian oil while circumventing sanctions includes 230 tankers that were sold by American and European companies to Russia after it invaded Ukraine for sums totaling billions of euros.

The actual sale of the tankers was not carried out illegally, but it is likely that the sellers knew for whom the sale was being made and for what purpose.
The Russian shadow fleet, currently estimated at over 650 ships, is considered a threat among security circles in Europe Security not only due to the illegal transportation of Russian oil, but mainly due to the ships' involvement in frequent incidents of damage to Western underwater infrastructure (cables) in the Baltic Sea, although it is still unclear whether all of the incidents were indeed caused by deliberate Russian sabotage or by accident.