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Tankers carrying sanctioned Russian oil through the Baltic Sea regularly sail with two additional crew members drawn from security services and the military, according to a joint investigation by the OCCRP, Delfi, Helsingin Sanomat, and the independent Russian outlet Important Stories.
The journalists analyzed the crew lists for 20 voyages and identified 17 Russians who do not hold seafarers’ certificates. However, a leaked registry of Wagner mercenaries and information from European intelligence services show most of them have ties to the Wagner private military company (PMC) or to Russian state security structures, including the country’s military intelligence agency, the GRU. Crew lists describe the individuals as freelance staff, and they began appearing regularly on ships starting in the summer of 2025. No such personnel were found on tankers operating in the Black Sea or the Pacific Ocean.
The investigation cites the vessel Kira K as an example. Late last year it was preparing to transport more than 700,000 barrels of crude oil, with the investigation saying the ship’s crew included sailors from Myanmar, China, and Bangladesh, as well as two Russian citizens: Denis Enin and Alexander Kamenev, who fought in Syria and in eastern Ukraine.
European intelligence services believe the security officers aboard are meant to deter Baltic states from attempting to arrest or inspect the vessels, as their presence increases the risk of armed resistance in the event that authorities intervene. Analysts say the military personnel on tankers could also gather valuable intelligence or carry out sabotage.
In early October French authorities detained the tanker Boracay as it transited the English Channel. Two employees of the Russian security firm Moran Security Group were on board. According to an AFP source, the employees monitored the crew and conducted reconnaissance. The source said their role was to “to ensure the protection of the vessel and, above all, to make sure the captain strictly followed the orders given in line with Russian interests.” The AFP source described the guards as Alexander T., 34, and Maxim D., 40, adding that the latter is a former police officer who worked for the Wagner private military company.
Earlier this year, reports also confirmed that Russian military personnel with service experience in the GRU special forces and the Wagner Group had previously been aboard the tanker Qendil, which was attacked by Ukrainian drones in the Mediterranean Sea in December 2025.