Daniel Wolfram
Russia has found a new way on the high sea to avoid sanctions and Ukranian military
Navigating war zones on the Black Sea has forced sailors to operate in creative ways.
This time, Russian vessels have found surprising ways to avoid Ukrainian strikes.
Some of these tactics and methods are relics of the past.
Blast from the past
Russian commercial ships in the Black Sea are turning back the clock to survive Ukrainian drone strikes. Recent sightings reveal tankers and cargo vessels using physical defences with visual tricks from past wars.
One massive crude tanker was spotted wrapped in heavy metal frames and protective netting. Meanwhile, an old cargo ship made waves by wearing camouflage not seen since World War One.
Shipping monitor TankerTrackers.com spotted the Sierra Leone-flagged tanker CARUZO moving through Istanbul. The 28-year-old vessel carried roughly one million barrels of Russian oil under a shroud of mesh and steel cages hanging over its engine room.
Dodging radar and rules
According to reports from The Insider, CARUZO is part of Russia’s shadow fleet. Canada and the European Union have already placed sanctions on the vessel. Ukrainian intelligence claims the ship routinely dodges price caps and trades oil in international waters.
Data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence shows the tanker regularly switches off its tracking systems upon entering the Black Sea. But physical netting is only half the strategy on these dangerous routes.
On August 10, Turkish merchant captain Murat Fırtına snapped photos of another modified vessel, the MECHTA S, docked in military-grade paint.
A strange sight
The ship’s paint mimics classic optical camouflage designed to break up a ship’s outline and confuse targeting optics. Older photos of the vessel showed standard paint, proving the wartime look was a recent choice.
Fırtına noted that seeing military paint on a civilian ship was shocking. “But it must be admitted: seeing a merchant ship in 2026 in the middle of Istanbul, in Haydarpaşa, looking as if it came off the pages of wartime history, is quite unusual,” he stated.
Maritime observers report that official Russian patrol ships are also adding anti-drone netting to protect against attacks.
