Addition by Bosphorus watcher @yorukisik on what he sees passing through the waters in Istanbul: ' #Russia has created a ghost fleet of vessels to transport its oil output while evading G7 sanctions & price caps: #DarkFleet Cook Islands flag Panamax tankers, Dubai based Radiating World Shipping's Pericles & Mumbai based ARK SeaKonnect's Pavo Rock transited #Bosphorus toward Med.'
Despite Russia facing ever-tightening sanctions, it has managed to keep up a steady trade with international markets, thanks to the Bosphorus waterway through Istanbul.
Watching closely with a camera and telescopic lens, Yörük Işık can see a Russian ship announce its passage on its way from a Black Sea Port to international markets.
RFI spoke to the man whose hobby is helping to thwart Russian sanctions-busting.
A “shadow fleet” of hundreds of aging tankers hauls embargoed #Russian energy exports across the #Bosphorus Strait, giving the #Kremlin much-needed revenues to pay its troops and purchase weaponry.