Russian vessels sanctioned by the US transported Russian oil worth over $11 billion last year, Newsweek writes. This amount of money is enough for Moscow to finance eight months of systematic strikes on Ukrainian cities.
The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) reports that tankers sanctioned by the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) carried 25.9 million tons of oil over 268 voyages from 24 February 2025 to 24 February 2026.
China accounted for 66% of imports, while other destinations included Syria, India, Brunei, Indonesia, Cuba, and Japan.
Mark Temnytsky of the Atlantic Council Eurasia Center notes that the analysis "reveals a significant gap between the state’s objectives for US sanctions policy toward the Russian Federation and their real-world impact."
"The fact that these vessels continued to operate, complete trades, and transport Russian oil means that the Russian Federation profited from these events," he says.
American companies aiding the aggressor to kill
From January 2024 to January 2025, the US imported petroleum products from Nayara Energy, valued at $192 million, supplied by the Russian company Rosneft Energo, which is under sanctions.
Additionally, in 2023, US firms paid $1.2 billion in corporate taxes to Russia. The US-made electronic components continue to enter Russian fighter jets through intermediary trade channels, according to a report by the International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR), the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO), and Hunterbrook media.
These findings indicate that despite sanctions, the aggressor continues to benefit from global trade and technology, highlighting significant gaps in US restrictions.
Russia’s revenues are falling, but state still profits from war
The new CREA report has found that in the fourth year of the war, Russia’s revenues from fossil fuel exports fell by 19% year-on-year and are 27% below pre-invasion levels.
Revenue from crude oil exports dropped 18%, and export volumes fell 6%.
Nevertheless, the aggressor’s profits remain substantial, and US and other international sanctions are only partially effective, underscoring the need for more robust global measures to block financing of Russia’s war.
