Albania blocks Russian-linked tanker from entering port, Ukrainian intelligence says
Read NV on Google
Albania closed its port to the Russian tanker Hanuman; illustrative photo (Photo: REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini)
Albania refused entry to the oil tanker Hanuman at the port of Durres after Ukrainian Defense Intelligence (HUR) had identified the vessel as part of Russia’s shadow fleet, according to HUR’s post on Telegram on Sept. 4.
Albania reportedly blocked the vessel on Aug. 29.
According to military intelligence, the Hanuman had long been under monitoring by Ukrainian special services. On Jan. 26, 2026, it was added to the War&Sanctions database as an active participant in the network of Russian ships used to circumvent sanctions.
Ukrainian intelligence said that since the start of 2025, the Hanuman had transported at least 452,000 tons of Russian fuel for export. The tanker made voyages from Novorossiysk to Turkiye, Senegal, the United Arab Emirates, and the transshipment area near Augusta, Italy, HUR added.
The logistics support for those operations was provided by the Russian company JSC Altoprae Marin, based in Novorossiysk. HUR said the enterprise was founded and controlled by one of its managers with ties to the orbit of sanctioned Russian oligarch Gennady Timchenko, a close associate of President Vladimir Putin.
The company is also linked to the regular servicing of vessels in Russia’s shadow fleet, including the tanker Eventin, which is under sanctions from the EU, the United States, Britain, Canada, Switzerland, and Ukraine.
In addition, HUR said Altoprae Marin is involved in operations of vessels owned by JSC Rosewood Shipping, a company linked to Oksana Marchenko, the wife of former Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk.
On Aug. 31, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said European Union forces had stopped a tanker believed to be part of Russia’s shadow fleet.
On Aug. 29, The Guardian reported that Britain’s Royal Navy had carried out a three-day surveillance operation the previous week, tracking four Russian vessels passing through British territorial waters from the North Sea into the English Channel.
The military war may be swinging in our favor, but the information war continues.
Just as an army needs soldiers, so does a free society need its journalists to ensure that people have access to honest, trustworthy voices to understand the world around them.
For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy. But we cannot do it alone.
Please consider supporting us on Patreon for just $5 a month – your donation does directly to supporting journalists and ensuring that this front of the infowar says solid and defended.
Thank you.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
