Marine Vessels

The vessel is involved in the theft of goods from Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories and, in 2026, made calls at the port of Sevastopol with its AIS signal turned off in order to conceal its movements to and from the port—which Ukraine has closed—in the temporarily occupied territory. According to available information, the vessel made at least two voyages to the port of Sevastopol in 2026 to transport goods.
On March 3, 2026, the vessel, under the command of Captain Abbasov Mehti (an Azerbaijani citizen), transported more than 3,000 metric tons of baking soda from the port of Sevastopol. The port of discharge was Alexandria (Egypt). The ship’s agent, Aval LLC (TIN 7720314451, OGRN 1157746816688), is subject to Ukrainian sanctions. The shipper of the cargo is Mostagro LLC (TIN 9701208412, OGRN 1227700328844). According to the documentation, Mostagro LLC shipped the cargo by vessel on behalf of the Hong Kong-based company Zulu Trading Limited (CR № 3227199, date of incorporation January 26, 2023). Zulu Trading Limited is involved in the trade of coal and grain with companies in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
On May 7, 2026, the vessel, under the command of Captain Abbasov Mehti (an Azerbaijani citizen), departed from the port of Sevastopol (Komyshova Bay) carrying 2,680 metric tons of granulated wheat bran. The shipper of the cargo is the russian company Agro-Fregat LLC (TIN 6141055691, OGRN 1196196042987, subject to Ukrainian sanctions), which has repeatedly been involved in operations to export grain from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. Ship agent — Novaagent LLC (TIN 6166125453, OGRN 1226100015470). The port of discharge for cargo exported from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine is Famagusta (Cyprus); the final consignee (according to the documentation) is Ozcag Freeport Ltd, Nicosia.

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 has made port calls at terminals in the temporarily occupied territory (TOT) of Crimea (Ukraine) and has been involved in regular deliveries of Shahed-136/131 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from Iran to russia via the Caspian Sea with the Automatic Identification System (AIS) signal disabled. From Tehran, the drones are transported to the Iranian port of Amirabad, from where they are shipped by sea to Makhachkala. They are then moved, along with their launch systems, by air and land to launch sites near Ukraine’s borders – Seshcha in the north (Bryansk Oblast) and Primorsko-Akhtarsk in the south (Krasnodar Krai). The vessel has also been implicated in violations of the "Crimean sanctions" regime.
The vessel is owned by the sanctioned russian Ladoga Shipping Company LLC (ООО "СК Ладога"), a shipping company based in Astrakhan on the Caspian Sea, whose vessels have previously entered the temporarily occupied Crimea and transported military cargo on behalf of the russian state-owned Rosoboronexport JSC (АО "Рособоронэкспорт") for delivery to the Iranian military.
In February and September 2024, the vessel was sanctioned by the United States and the United Kingdom, respectively.
On 21 February 2025, Canada 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.

The vessel is involved in the delivery of military equipment and personnel of the russian armed forces to the TOT of Zaporizhzhia region (Ukraine).
On May 26, 2023, the vessel "V.USPENSKIY", which left the Rostov Commercial Sea Port of the russian federation, having passed the waters of the internal waters of the russian federation and the sea of Azov, entered the maritime space of the temporarily occupied Berdiansk Commercial Sea Port of Ukraine, where it unloaded military equipment delivered from the territory of the russian federation to berth No. 10. After that, on May 28, 2023, the military equipment was taken out of the port under the protection of the Pantsyr-C1 anti-aircraft missile and gun system to the permanent deployment points of the russian armed forces in the TOT of Zaporizhzhia region.
The authorized body of Ukraine has served a notice of suspicion of aiding and abetting in the conduct of aggressive war on the Deputy Minister of Transport of the russian federation, Alexander Poshyvay, and the head of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Administration of the Sea Ports of the Azov Sea" Sergey Safonichev, as well as on the change of the previously announced suspicion to the head of the Federal Agency for Sea and River Transport of the Russian Federation Zakhary Dzhioev. Since September 2022, russian officials have allowed the use of the capacities of the Berdiansk seaport for the transportation of military equipment and personnel of the military formations of the russian federation, organized and provided conditions for the timely transportation by sea of personnel of the armed forces and other armed formations of the russian federation, military equipment, and munitions to the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine, thereby providing means and removing obstacles for the top military and political leadership of the russian federation to wage an aggressive war against Ukraine.
The vessel is involved in the theft of grain from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine (the port of Sevastopol).
The vessel regularly calls at ports in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, in particular in June, July, and October 2025 at the port of Krym, in September 2025 at the port of Kamysh-Burun, and in November 2025 at the port of Kerch.
On November 25, 2025, Ukraine imposed sanctions on the vessel.

The vessel is involved in the delivery of military equipment from the russian federation and the territory of the TOT of Zaporizhzhia region (Ukraine), and calls at the ports of the TOT of Crimea (Ukraine).
On May 23, 2023, the vessel ІМО 9931226, which left the Caucasian Sea Commercial Port of the russian federation, crossed the Azov Sea and entered the sea space of the temporarily occupied Berdiansk Sea Commercial Port of Ukraine, where it unloaded military equipment delivered from the territory of the russian Federation to berth 10. After that, on May 28, 2023, the military equipment was taken out of the port under the protection of the 'Pantsyr-C1' anti-aircraft missile and gun system to the permanent deployment points of the russian armed forces in the TOT of Zaporizhzhia region.
The authorized body of Ukraine has served a notice of suspicion of aiding and abetting in the conduct of aggressive war on the Deputy Minister of Transport of the russian federation, Alexander Poshyvay, and the head of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Administration of the Sea Ports of the Azov Sea" Sergey Safonichev, as well as on the change of the previously announced suspicion to the head of the Federal Agency for Sea and River Transport of the russian federation Zakhary Dzhioev. Since September 2022, russian officials have allowed the use of the capacities of the Berdiansk seaport for the transportation of military equipment and personnel of the russian military formations, organized and provided conditions for the timely transportation by sea of personnel of the armed forces and other armed formations of the russian federation, military equipment, weapons to the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine, thereby providing means and removing obstacles for the top military and political leadership of the russian federation to wage an aggressive war against Ukraine.

The tug has been implicated in grain theft schemes involving shipments from the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine.
In December 2023, the tug, operating with the barge Samarskaya-3, removed Ukrainian grain from the temporarily occupied port of Berdyansk, Zaporizhzhia Region, Ukraine. The barge Samarskaya-3 belongs to the fleet of Petrotanker LLC (ООО "Петротанкер", TIN/INN 7840463656), a russian company that specializes in the carriage of general, project, grain, and bulk cargoes via the inland waterways of the russian federation, the waters of the Northern Sea Route, and international sea routes in the Barents, North, Baltic, Mediterranean, Black, and Caspian Seas.
The vessel is affiliated with Rika-More Management Company LLC (ООО "Управляющая компания "Река-Море", TIN/INN 6164275559), a russian company designated by Ukraine. Rika-More Management Company provides vessel-agency services in the seaports of Rostov-on-Don and Azov; conducts complex, non-standard transport, loading, and unloading operations for cargoes of any dimensions; performs pilotage; and carries out towing of floating objects of varying complexity in support of the ministry of defense of the russian federation, security agencies, and enterprises of the aggressor’s military-industrial complex.

The self-propelled single-deck dry cargo vessel (RSD59 project) with two cargo holds, two full-rotating VRUs, sea and mixed river/sea navigation of the Volga-Don Max class, built under contract for the shipping company Pola Rise LLC, was launched in October 2019.
The vessel is designed to transport general and bulk cargo, packaged lumber, round timber, scrap metal, metal in bundles and coils, oversized, long and heavy cargo, coal, dangerous goods and category B cargo.
The owner and manager of the vessel is the sanctioned shipping company Pola Rise LLC.
On 24.02.2023, USA imposed sanctions on Pola Rise LLC and 22 affiliated vessels, including the "Aleksandr Sokolov", for their activities in the maritime sector of the russian economy, participation in increasing russia's trade with Turkey and facilitating the supply of materials to construction sites in the Arctic.
The vessel calls at the ports of the TOT of Crimea.

The vessel calls at ports in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, including the ports of Mariupol and Kerch.
It belongs to the sanctioned russian shipping company Pola Rise LLC, which specializes in export-import transportation of bulk, general and project cargo in the Mediterranean, Black, Azov, Caspian, Baltic, White and North Seas, including voyages around Europe, as well as inland waterways of russia.
USA imposed sanctions on Pola Rise LLC and 22 affiliated vessels for their activities in the maritime sector of the russian economy, participation in increasing russia's trade with Turkey and facilitating the supply of materials to construction sites in the Arctic.

Entering at the ports of the TOT of Crimea, violating the state borders of Ukraine.
It belongs to the sanctioned russian shipping company Pola Rise LLC, which specializes in export-import transportation of bulk, general and project cargo in the Mediterranean, Black, Azov, Caspian, Baltic, White and North Seas, including voyages around Europe, as well as inland waterways of russia.
USA imposed sanctions on Pola Rise LLC and 22 affiliated vessels for their activities in the maritime sector of the russian economy, participation in increasing russia's trade with Turkey and facilitating the supply of materials to construction sites in the Arctic.

Affiliated with the sanctioned russian shipping company Pola Rise LLC, which specializes in the export-import transportation of bulk, general and project cargo in the Mediterranean, Black, Azov, Caspian, Baltic, White, North Seas, including voyages around Europe, as well as inland waterways of russia.
Sanctions were applied to Pola Rise LLC and 22 affiliated vessels by USA for activities in the maritime sector of the russian economy, participation in increasing russia's trade with Turkey and facilitating the supply of materials to construction sites in the Arctic.

Entering at the ports of the TOT of Crimea, violating the state borders of Ukraine.
It belongs to the sanctioned russian shipping company Pola Rise LLC, which specializes in export-import transportation of bulk, general and project cargo in the Mediterranean, Black, Azov, Caspian, Baltic, White and North Seas, including voyages around Europe, as well as inland waterways of russia.
USA imposed sanctions on Pola Rise LLC and 22 affiliated vessels for their activities in the maritime sector of the russian economy, participation in increasing russia's trade with Turkey and facilitating the supply of materials to construction sites in the Arctic.