A network of companies from Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia has fueled Russia's tanks to evade Western sanctions.

A investigation conducted by the Lithuanian public television station LRT discovered that a network of companies from Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, known as Fast Bunkering, supplied fuel to the tanks of Russia's 'phantom fleet'. Between June 2024 and March 2025, these companies refueled 177 tankers in the Baltic Sea, many of which had connections to Russian ports.

Analyst Anatolii Kravtsev emphasized that many of the tankers did not have insurance from members of the International Group of P&I Clubs, and their owners were registered in jurisdictions that do not comply with sanctions. Although the tankers were not sanctioned at the time of refueling, many were subsequently included on the EU and US sanctions lists. Another investigation revealed that an insurance company from New Zealand, Maritime Mutual, facilitated the transport of oil from Russia and Iran, and is being investigated by authorities for possible violations of international sanctions.