"We have a 'shadow fleet' and sanctioned companies currently operating in the UAE. Specifically, this refers to what was once Coral Energy, now known as 2Rivers, which coincidentally has Azerbaijani roots in terms of its founders. A subtle point: the place of jurisdiction is the UAE. Numerous reputable publications, such as Le Monde and The Wall Street Journal, have published investigations on this company, stating that they manage nearly a hundred tankers and engage in various operations related to financial transactions and document forgery," reminded Vihirinsky.
He cited a recent interview with "RBK-Ukraine" featuring the Ukrainian president's representative for sanctions policy, Vladislav Vlasyuk, where he was asked why there are still no sanctions against Coral Energy.
"Mr. Vladislav seemed a bit uncomfortable answering and explaining that we need to align our position on sanctions with the EU and the USA. Judging by the fact that we have not yet imposed sanctions against this company, despite their ties with [the chairman and CEO of 'Rosneft', Igor] Sechin, and their role as operators of the tanker 'shadow fleet', which provides sufficient financial resources for Russia to conduct its war," stated the political analyst.
Vihirinsky noted that Ukraine has not imposed sanctions, and the EU has not either, even though the scheme has become known to everyone – "publicly and reliably".
"So we find ourselves in a situation where, knowing the profit-making mechanism, we leave this financial resource for the Russians. And they, as stated by the head of their Central Bank, Ms. Nabiullina, 'have utilized all financial resources to launch the capacities of their economy' and are recording a historical low unemployment rate of 3%," said the expert.
He emphasized that when Ukraine starts producing armaments, it will be partially funded by assets frozen in the EU that belong to the Russian Federation.
"At the same time, with one hand, we allow the Russian Federation to earn money peacefully. We can impose sanctions against Coral Energy, but they may not be as effective compared to the sanctions that the EU could impose," declared the political analyst.