A sanctioned Russian vessel, part of the country's "shadow fleet," was just off the coast of eastern Cuba on Sunday, according to ship tracking data, and was expected to reach port on Monday, a lifeline for the country's economy that has nearly ground to a halt under a de facto oil blockade imposed by Washington. The official Cuban news outlet Cubadebate called the Russian shipment a direct challenge to the U.S. oil blockade, after the Russian navy escorted the sanctioned vessel through the English Channel on its way to the Caribbean. Brett Erickson of the consulting firm Obsidian Risk Advisors said the arrival of the Anatoly Kolodkin was significant in light of the British government allowing another ship from Russia's shadow fleet, the VAYU 1, to pass through the English Channel after announcing last week it had authorized its military to board such ships passing through UK waters.
Author: Stephen Letts
Published at: 2026-03-29 20:25:23
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