Seven Russian Tankers Shipping Bloody Diesel to US Identified, Located

The identity and location of seven Russian tankers transporting 288,000 metric tons of diesel to the US were announced by Greenpeace Ukraine on October. 29, reported the Kyiv Independent.

Following President Donald Trump suspending sanctions on Russian oil exports, a live tracker map developed by Greenpeace, an international environmental organization, shows Russian tankers currently moving across the Atlantic Ocean, with one vessel approaching the U.S. East Coast.

“Every shipment of Russian diesel comes at a human cost,” Polina Kolodiazhna, energy campaigner at Greenpeace Ukraine, said in a statement. “Every dollar flowing into Russia risks fueling more attacks, more destruction and more deaths. These shipments also undermine the international sanctions regime and send a dangerous message that business with Russia can continue as usual, even as its war against Ukraine rages on.”

The Ukrainian Congress Committee of America and the Ukrainian National Information Service have launched a campaign to stop ships transporting bloody Russian diesel from reaching US ports.

The Trump administration’s decision to facilitate the importation of Russian diesel into the United States represents a significant reversal of American policy toward Russian energy exports following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The agreement raises three major issues: the economic benefit to the Kremlin, the potential violation of existing federal law, and the implications for American support for Ukraine.

On October 9, 2026, President Trump announced an agreement with Vladimir Putin under which Russia would resume diesel exports to the United States and international markets. The announcement followed discussions between the two leaders and was presented by the administration as an effort to address elevated American diesel prices.

Greenpeace Ukraine identified the tankers as the Taurus, Pvt Azura, Agioi Fanendes, Talisman, Leruo, Iblea, and Primorye. Three of these vessels, the Talisman, Leruo, and Primorye, are currently sanctioned by multiple countries as part of Russia's "shadow fleet" illegally exporting oil, according to Ukraine’s war sanctions portal. The Talisman has been under US sanctions since January 2025.

The ships are expected to arrive in the US in early November, though it is not known at which ports they will arrive.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Sept. 28 restricting access to data on the country's oil refineries and energy exports amid Ukrainian campaigns against Russia's oil infrastructure. The decree added another layer of secrecy to Russian exports, helping shadow fleet vessels evade sanctions.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) subsequently issued General License 135, authorizing transactions involving the sale, delivery, unloading and importation of Russian-origin diesel, including into the United States. The license is scheduled to remain in effect through April 7, 2027.

The first shipment of Russian diesel following the October agreement set sail toward the United States on October 23, 2026, according to shipping and tracking data, reported by Reuters.

The tanker loaded approximately 40,000 metric tons of ultra-low-sulfur diesel at Primorsk, Russia’s Baltic port, on October 22.

Shipping data initially indicated that the vessel was headed for New York, with an anticipated arrival of November 7.

The shipment would represent the first identified U.S.-bound Russian diesel cargo under the new arrangement.

The buyer and seller had not been identified.

The diesel agreement needs to be examined in the broader context of US policy toward Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The diesel agreement creates an unfavorable negotiating dynamic. Moscow gains an economic relationship with Washington without having first demonstrated a willingness to end its aggression or accept Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. The arrangement risks allowing economic cooperation to advance while the underlying military aggression and genocide continues.

The diesel agreement sends a troubling message to Ukraine. Ukrainians continue to endure Russian missile and drone attacks against their homes, cities, electrical infrastructure and civilian population. At the same time, the United States is considering the purchase of fuel that generates revenue for the country conducting those attacks.

The timing of this diesel agreement is particularly unconscionable given Russia’s escalating campaign of terror against Ukraine. On October 29, Russian drones struck a crowded railway station in Dnipro, killing at least 14 people, while additional attacks killed civilians in Chernihiv and Kremenchuk and injured dozens more.

Russian forces also struck civilian transportation and infrastructure in other parts of the country. These attacks are not isolated incidents; they are part of Moscow’s continuing campaign to destroy Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, terrorize its population and undermine the country’s ability to function.

The question for American policymakers is whether supposed short-term commercial and energy considerations should override the existing statutory prohibition and the broader objective of denying Moscow resources to sustain its war of aggression against Ukraine

The United States Congress enacted the Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act (Public Law 117-109) on April 8, 2022. The legislation passed the House by an overwhelming 413–9 vote and passed the Senate unanimously. Section 2 of the law expressly prohibits the importation of products originating in Russia classified under Chapter 27 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule. This includes diesel and other petroleum products. The legislation also establishes a specific process for terminating the prohibition.

Recent congressional actions to stop the importing of Russian diesel have included an October 29 letter, written by Congressional Ukraine Caucus co-chair Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) and Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), that demanded that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) enforce the federal prohibition and prevent the importation of Russian diesel. They also requested that attempted violations be referred for investigation and prosecution.

As early as October 22, Congressional Ukraine Caucus co-chair Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), along with Reps. Marie Perez (D-WA) and Don Bacon (R-NE), introduced H.R. 10866, the Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Act of 2026. It would prohibit the U.S. Department of Treasury from issuing waivers or general licenses for importing Russian energy products and nullify General License 135. The legislation has been referred to the relevant House committees.

On Oct. 9, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he was temporarily allowing the sale of Russian diesel in the country in an attempt to lower oil costs heightened by the war with Iran. The move spurred international backlash from Ukraine and its allies, as well as lawmakers in the U.S.

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, issued a warning on Oct. 28 to a shipping company transporting the Russian diesel to the United States: turn back, or risk violating U.S. sanctions law.

Blumenthal says that diesel shipments are banned under the 2022 Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act, signed into law by former President Joe Biden following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Trump's diesel deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin does not "supersede clear, unambiguous law," Blumenthal argued.

On Oct. 29, New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, told KYW Newsradio that she was considering blocking the Russian tankers from entering the state's ports.

“Donald Trump isn't doing anything to bring down gas prices, diesel prices, or costs," Sherrill said. "Instead, he is lining Vladimir Putin's pockets at the expense of American consumers and our democratic ally Ukraine. Make no mistake: Trump's diesel deal with Putin is corrupt and illegal, and I am evaluating options to stop it from arriving at a port in New Jersey.”

 Engage Congress. Even before Congress returns to Washington after the midterm elections, Senators and Members of Congress can, and should, speak out about the impending import of Russian diesel. The Ukrainian National Information Service (UNIS), the Washington, DC public affairs bureau of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA), urge you to contact your Senators and Representative TODAY and request their action to stop the import of Russian diesel to the United States.

Contact your Senators and Representative and other elected officials: Demand Their Action to Stop Russian Diesel in the United States.