BRUSSELS

Russian cargo vessels suspected of belonging to Moscow's so-called "shadow fleet" are increasingly turning off mandatory geolocation systems to evade international monitoring and bypass economic sanctions, according to a joint investigation by Belgian daily De Tijd, VRT NWS, and several international media outlets.

The investigation tracked nearly 1,400 oil tankers, cargo ships, and intelligence vessels believed to be linked to the Kremlin.

Although many do not sail under the Russian flag, the report argued they exhibit suspicious navigation patterns consistent with Russia's covert maritime network.

The investigation found that these ships now go "invisible" by switching off their Automatic Identification System (AIS) twice as often as at the start of the war in Ukraine.

The practice was observed frequently off the Belgian coast, where several vessels were detected disappearing from tracking systems.

A comparison with a control group of 100 non-suspect ships flying Dutch, German, Belgian, and Norwegian flags revealed that Russia's "shadow fleet" operated more than six times as often without AIS as normal vessels, despite international maritime regulations requiring the system to remain active at all times.

Belgium's Defense Ministry confirmed the findings to the outlets, saying the behavior likely aims to circumvent sanctions imposed on Russia since the war started in Ukraine.

In addition to disabling geolocation signals, the report said some vessels transmit false location data to conceal their real position, further complicating efforts by European authorities to track illicit shipping activities linked to the Kremlin.