The vessel was used together with the зassenger/Ro-Ro ship ‘Lavrentiy’ (IMO 8647866) at the Kerch ferry crossing, carrying out cargo and passenger transportation, including in the interests of the russian ministry of defence, with regular calls to the port of Kerch (TOT Crimea, Ukraine), violating the state borders of Ukraine. In December 2023, after repairs, the vessel returned to the strategically important Crimea-Caucasus line, which, according to Oboronlogistika LLC, is focused on the delivery of civilian and construction cargo to the TOT of Donbas.
In May 2022, USA imposed sanctions on three vessels, including the "Maria E", affiliated with the russian sanctioned company Oboronlogistika LLC, a russian shipping company operating as part of the military construction complex of the russian ministry of defence. The main tasks of Oboronlogistika LLC are to meet the needs of the russian ministry of defence in the transportation, storage and production of military and special-purpose goods. Oboronlogistika LLC is the sole provider of transport services for the ministry of defence of russia, transporting troops to certain regions of russia and delivering cargo to the temporarily occupied Crimea (Ukraine).
On May 23, 2026, Ukraine imposed sanctions on the vessel.

The vessel has been implicated in the transportation of weapons, including from Syria to russia through the Bosporus and Dardanelles Straits. In particular, after the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in April 2022, the vessel was recorded by a ship spotter in the Bosporus with military equipment on board; in August 2022, it carried out the transfer of weapons, including S-300 air defense systems, from Syria to the russian port of Novorossiysk, likely for use in the war against Ukraine.
The vessel has also been implicated in transporting part of the military equipment from the russian naval base in Tartus (Syria) to Libya after the fall of the Assad regime. On December 13, 2024, the vessel departed from the russian naval base in Baltiysk, and on January 06, 2025, it was recorded in the Mediterranean Sea within the Tunisian EEZ. The vessel was scheduled to call at the port of Tartus on January 08, 2025.
It is a multifunctional vessel with both horizontal and vertical loading and unloading capabilities, designed for the carriage of rolling equipment, trailers, and semi-trailers, as well as cargo in containers and general cargo. The vessel has two lower holds with a total cargo deck length of 70.7 m and width of 15.6 m, a tween deck 109.3 m long and 15.2 m wide, and one open upper deck 96.2 m long and 15.6 m wide. Its cargo spaces can carry loaded containers up to 213 TEU or empty containers up to 783 TEU, with capacity for connecting 40 refrigerated containers. In addition, it can carry up to 20 standard road trains up to 17 meters long.
Since November 2022, the vessel has been involved in the transportation of containers, rolling equipment, and general cargo on the Ust-Luga – Baltiysk – Kaliningrad container line. On July 05, 2024, it resumed operations on the line under the management of Oboronlogistika LLC (ООО "Оборонлогистика"), a sanctioned russian shipping company that operates as part of the military construction complex of the russian Ministry of Defence. The main tasks of Oboronlogistika LLC are to meet the needs of the russian Ministry of Defence in the transportation, storage, and production of military and special-purpose goods, being the sole provider of transport services for the Ministry of Defence of russia, including the transportation of troops to certain regions of russia and the delivery of cargo to the temporarily occupied Crimea, Ukraine.
In May 2022, the United States imposed sanctions on three vessels, including the Sparta II, affiliated with the sanctioned Oboronlogistika LLC.
On May 23, 2026, Ukraine imposed sanctions on the vessel.

The vessel is involved in the transportation of weapons in the interests of the russian federation.
The vessel is linked to the russian company Oboronlogistika LLC, which is subject to sanctions.
Oboronlogistika LLC is a shipping company operating as part of the military-industrial complex of the Ministry of Defense of the russian federation.
Among the main tasks of Oboronlogistika LLC is meeting the needs of the Ministry of Defense of the russian federation in the transportation, storage, and production of military and special-purpose goods.
Oboronlogistika LLC is a provider of transportation services for the Ministry of Defense of the russian federation; it transports troops to various regions of russia and delivers cargo to the temporarily occupied Crimea (Ukraine).
It primarily operates in the Baltic Sea between the russian ports of Baltiysk and Ust-Luga.
On May 8, 2022, the United States imposed sanctions on the vessel.
On May 23, 2026, Ukraine imposed sanctions on the vessel.

The vessel has been involved in the regular transportation of military cargo and personnel from Novorossiysk (russia) to Tartus (Syria) and back, and is also believed to have transported such cargo from Tartus to ports in the temporarily occupied territory (TOT) of Crimea (Ukraine). It has also been involved in the transport of ilmenite to the TOT of Crimea, Ukraine for the russian-seized Crimean Titan, operating on the Novorossiysk (russia) – Tartus (Syria) route.
Since late 2023, the vessel has been reassigned from the Novorossiysk– Tartus route to the St. Petersburg– Kaliningrad container ferry line. On 28 July 2023, the Federal Service for Supervision in the Sphere of Transport of the russian federation issued a licence authorising the vessel to carry all categories of dangerous goods, including radioactive cargo (hazard class 7). The vessel is equipped with additional specialised equipment, and certain crew members have undergone specialised training. The dry cargo vessel’s design is fully suitable for the carriage of all hazard classes, including radioactive materials. It has a deck for containers and general cargo, and two holds – one fitted for the transport of spent nuclear fuel.
In May 2022, the United States imposed sanctions on the Pizhma, then owned by the designated russian shipping company SK-Yug LLC (ООО "СК-Юг"), a subsidiary of the designated russian company Oboronlogistika LLC (ООО "Оборонлогистика"). Oboronlogistika LLC operates as part of the military construction complex of the russian ministry of defence, with its main functions being to provide transportation, storage, and production of military and special-purpose goods for the ministry. It is the sole provider of transport services for the russian ministry of defence, moving troops to certain regions of russia and delivering cargo to the TOT of Crimea (Ukraine).
Since July 2023, the vessel has been owned by the russian shipping company Obl-Shipping LLC (ООО "Обл-Шиппинг"), which is part of the Oboronlogistika group.
On May 23, 2026, Ukraine imposed sanctions on the vessel.

The vessel carries out regular logistics transport operations in the interests of the russian Armed Forces and provides regular supplies to the Kaliningrad exclave (military, industrial, and civilian cargo), bypassing land transit through EU countries.
It is involved in the transportation of military cargo and military personnel from Novorossiysk (russia) to Tartus (Syria), and back, and allegedly from Tartus to the ports of the TOT Crimea (Ukraine).
The vessel is involved in the russian so-called rescue group, accompanied by the russian large amphibious assault ships 'ivan gren' and 'aleksandr otrakovsky', to transport some military equipment from the russian naval base in tartus (Syria) to Libya after the fall of the Assad regime. On the territory of the base in Tartus, there are, in particular, mercenaries of the "African Corps" controlled by the russian ministry of defense. Chief of Staff of the 121st Brigade of Landing Ships of the russian aggressor fleet, captain 1st rank yuri albertovich davitian is on board the otrakovsky. On December 11, 2024, Sparta left the russian naval base in Baltiysk, and on January 05, 2025, it was spotted in the Mediterranean Sea in the Syrian EEZ. On January 05, 2025, the vessel was supposed to arrive at a Syrian port, but as of the morning of January 07, 2025, it sails off the coast of Syria, probably waiting for permission to enter the port of Tartus from the new Syrian authorities.
The vessel is involved in the Ust-Luga-Baltic container ferry (transportation of containers, rolling equipment, general cargo).
It belongs to the sanctioned russian shipping company SK-Yug LLC, a subsidiary of the sanctioned russian company Oboronlogistika LLC. Oboronlogistika LLC. Oboronlogistika LLC is a shipping company that operates as part of the military construction complex of the russian ministry of defence. The main objectives of Oboronlogistika LLC are to meet the needs of the russian ministry of defence in the transportation, storage and production of military and special-purpose goods. Oboronlogistika LLC is the sole provider of transport services for the ministry of defence of russia, transporting troops to certain regions of russia and delivering goods to the temporarily occupied Crimea (Ukraine).
In May 2022, USA imposed sanctions on Sparta as a property of SK-Yug LLC.
On April, 2026, the EU imposed sanctions on the vessel.
On April 18, 2026, the vessel transported military cargo from the port of Kaliningrad (the terminal of the Baltiysk Shipbuilding Complex) to its port in Tartus, Syria.
On May 23, 2026, Ukraine imposed sanctions on the vessel.
Since May 22, 2026, Switzerland has imposed sanctions on the vessel.
On June 12, 2026, Canada imposed sanctions on the vessel.

The vessel is involved in the transportation of military equipment for the russian troops in Syria
The vessel belongs to the sanctioned russian shipping company SK-South LLC, a subsidiary of the sanctioned russian company Oboronlogistika LLC. OOO Oboronlogistika. Oboronlogistika LLC is a shipping company that operates within the military construction complex of the russian ministry of defence. The main objectives of Oboronlogistika LLC are to meet the needs of the russian ministry of defence in the transportation, storage and production of military and special-purpose goods. Oboronlogistika LLC is the sole provider of transport services for the russian ministry of defence, transporting troops to certain regions of russia and delivering cargo to temporarily occupied Crimea (Ukraine).
In May 2022, USA imposed sanctions on "Ursa Major" as a property of SK-South LLC.
After a long period of work in the Caspian Sea to provide transportations between the ports of russia and Iran, in September 2023 completed the passage to the Azov-Black Sea basin, where it was without AIS signal. The vessel made calls at the port of Taurus (Syria) using an AIS disconnection scheme to conceal destinations.
While making voyages to Syria, passed the Bosphorus Strait without waiting. In accordance with established practice, vessels wait for their turn to pass for a certain period of time. This is only possible with prior agreement with representatives of the Turkish maritime administration
The russian federation continues to use cargo vessels to move cargo, including military cargo, through the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits.
During 2022-2023, these straits were crossed by russian cargo vessels affiliated with Oboronlogistika LLC, namely: "Sparta IV", "Ursa Major", "Sparta II". These vessels were travelling along the routes Novorossiysk Port (russia) - Bosphorus - Dardanelles - Tartus Port (Syria).
Since March 2024, the vessel has been sailing between the ports of Baltiysk - Kronstadt - St Petersburg.
On December 24, 2024, the vessel Ursa Major sank in international waters between Spain and Algeria after an explosion in the engine room, 14 crew members were rescued, two went missing. According to ship tracking data, the Ursa Major left the port of St. Petersburg on December 11, 2024, and was scheduled to arrive in Vladivostok on January 22, 2025. According to the captain, at the time of the accident, the ship was carrying empty containers, while a few days before the sinking, the press service of the russian "Oboronlogistika" announced that the Ursa Major was being sent to the Far East with "a large project cargo as part of the implementation of state tasks for the development of port infrastructure and the Northern Sea Route", the ship was loaded with port cranes weighing 380 tons each, necessary for the expansion of the terminal in Vladivostok, and 45-ton hatch covers for new icebreakers.
On May 23, 2026, Ukraine imposed sanctions on the vessel.

The vessel belongs to the sanctioned russian shipping company SK-Yug LLC, a subsidiary of the sanctioned russian company Oboronlogistika LLC. Oboronlogistika LLC. Oboronlogistika LLC is a shipping company that operates within the military construction complex of the russian ministry of defence. The main objectives of Oboronlogistika LLC are to meet the needs of the russian ministry of defence in the transportation, storage and production of military and special-purpose goods. Oboronlogistika LLC is the sole provider of transport services for the russian ministry of defence, transporting troops to certain regions of russia and delivering cargo to temporarily occupied Crimea (Ukraine).
In May 2022, the U.S. imposed sanctions on vessel as a property of SK-Yug LLC.
Engaged by russia for important maritime logistics operations since 2018. The design, certification and capabilities of the Sparta IV make it an excellent transit vessel for large military equipment. Its volumetric payload capacity, two cranes capable of lifting up to 55 tonnes and overall displacement mean the vessel can easily transport heavy military cargo such as the T-90 tanks deployed in Syria.
In 2023, the vessel made at least 6 voyages between the military ports of Tartus, Syria and Novorossiysk, russia: 14-25 January, 01-06 March, 8-15 April, 16-25 May, 25 June-15 July (reportedly unloading military equipment at the port of Novorossiysk), and 10 August. On each of these voyages, the Sparta IV only called at terminals of the russian naval base.
Among the cargoes carried could be missiles for the S-300 SAM system, which is regularly used to shell Kharkiv and frontline Ukrainian cities. Thus "Sparta IV", heading from Syria to the port of Novorossiysk with heavy cargo, on the night of Sunday 05.03.2023 passed the Bosphorus Strait with probably the mentioned missiles on board. The vessel was loaded at the russian naval base in Tartus, Syria. Military vehicles were involved in the loading and the vessel's large holds were opened at the time. When the Sparta IV passed the Bosphorus, it had a draft of 6.2 metres (20 feet), which implies a heavy load.
In addition, the Sparta IV had already delivered military cargoes in August 2022. At that time, russian missiles for the S-300 SAM system were unloaded from the vessel in Novorossiysk.
The russian federation continues to use cargo vessels to move cargo, including military cargo, through the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits.
During 2022-2023, these straits were crossed by russian cargo vessels affiliated with Oboronlogistika LLC, namely: "Sparta IV", "Ursa Major", "Sparta II". The said vessels were operating on the routes Novorossiysk Port (russia) - Bosphorus - Dardanelles - Tartus Port (Syria).
On 15.07.2023 the vessel "Sparta IV" in the port of Novorossiysk was involved in loading artillery systems (probably M-46, D-30 or 2B16 "Nona"), which were delivered by the vessel to the Syrian port of Tartus on 07.08.2023. After that the vessel returned to the port of Novorossiysk, and already on 30.08.2023 made a call to the port of Sevastopol (TOT Crimea), where it made a call on 30.08.2023 in an empty state for scheduled repairs.
In 2024, the vessel continued to operate on the Novorossiysk (russia) - Tartus (Syria) line. In particular, in February 2024, the vessel sailed from Novorossiysk to Tartus together with the tanker ‘Yaz’ (IMO 9735323), the rollers ‘Lady Maria’ (IMO 9220641) and ‘Baltic Leader’ (IMO 9220639), which were first used on the Novorossiysk-Tartus line. In June 2024, the vessel was deployed on the St Petersburg - Kaliningrad container line, where it made two colonies. At the end of June 2024, the vessel made a crossing of the North Sea. It is likely that the vessel will be engaged in the summer to deliver cargoes required for the construction of a new terminal and field development from the port of Arkhangelsk to the port of Bukhta Sever.
On May 23, 2026, Ukraine imposed sanctions on the vessel.

The vessel is a roll-on/roll-off ferry designed to transport heavy vehicles and can carry up to 700 tonnes of cargo, including up to 20 trucks and more than 130 passengers.
Since 2015, in violation of Ukrainian legislation and "Crimean" sanctions, it has made frequent port calls at terminals in the temporarily occupied territory (TOT) of Crimea (Kerch, Komysh-Burun, Port Krym), delivering cargo – including dangerous goods – and transporting russian military personnel.
On 27 July 2022, it conducted a so-called "technical" (trial) voyage from Yeysk (Krasnodar Krai, russia) to the temporarily occupied city of Mariupol, Ukraine – a route likely used by the russian military to establish supply chains for weapons, military equipment, and personnel to the TOT of Ukraine.
Since October 2022, jointly with the ferry Maria E (IMO 9617923), it has been operating on the strategically important "Crimea– Caucasus" route, which, according to Oboronlogistika LLC, is intended for the delivery of civilian and construction cargo to the TOT of Ukraine. The vessel had previously operated on this route between 2015 and 2018, before the commissioning of the Crimean Bridge.
It has been involved in fulfilling tasks assigned by the supreme commander-in-chief of the russian federation at the Kerch ferry crossing. Since March 2018, it has transported troops and cargo for the Rosgvardiya on the "Port Kavkaz – Port Kerch" ferry line, and in November 2022, it was used by OBL-Trans LLC – part of the Oboronlogistika group – in the multimodal delivery of medical equipment (a 27-tonne russian-made mobile CT scanner) to the TOT of Crimea, Ukraine.
The vessel is owned and operated by OBL-Shipping LLC (IMO 5945681, TIN 9705070412, under Ukrainian sanctions), a subsidiary of the sanctioned Oboronlogistika LLC (IMO 5906931, TIN 7718857267). OBL-Shipping LLC also manages the vessels Pizhma (IMO 8814354), Ambal (IMO 8807416), and Sparta II (IMO 9160994) on strategic routes critical for russia, maintains fleet serviceability, ensures compliance with safe operation standards, and is certified to provide maritime transportation services for nuclear materials, radioactive substances, and radioactive waste.
On May 23, 2026, Ukraine imposed sanctions on the vessel.