Experts tracking Russian oil transportation to prevent Kremlin from circumventing sanctions

“Experts are tracking energy supply routes, thanks to which Russia is desperately trying to finance its military machine. Information for the group is provided by both international experts and government officials from other countries and even intelligence,” Oleg Ustenko, economic adviser to the President of Ukraine, told The Economist, the President’s Office informs.

As noted, the group uses network analysis software to establish the relationship between disparate data. The program analyzes the behavior of ships, taking into account various information.

“For example, the declared cargo, route and insurance data, as well as historical models of navigation in different weather and market conditions. You can even see the tonnage of the cargo on board the ship and see if there is a suspicion that there may be more cargo on board than stated,” Ustenko explains.

The group of experts has already managed to identify supplies of Kazakh oil, which they believe contain portions of clandestinely loaded Russian crude.

Warnings are sent to relevant governments and companies, as well as to Ukrainian ministries.

ol