Dear Vladimir,
Western leaders have condemned Putin’s troops' war crimes and pledged to assist Ukraine – yet the fossil fuels funding this war continue to flow from Russia, despite Ukrainians’ cry to stop Russian oil trade.
Thanks to your support Vladimir, we’ve been keeping up the pressure on the companies enabling this deadly trade.
Our investigation showed that more than 360 ships discharged a staggering quantity of fossil fuels loaded from Russian ports between February and March 2022.
Every one of these vessels were insured by western insurance associations. These companies have no excuse for continuing to underwrite an industry that fuels war as well as the destruction of our shared planet.
Oleg Ustenko, Chief Economic Advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, called on these insurers to stop covering tankers carrying Russian fossil fuels.
Read our investigation in Bloomberg
Commodity traders —a little-known, small group of western companies that dominate the world’s supply of natural resources including oil—were also doing their bit. According to data seen by Global Witness, several traders have continued to lift large volumes of Russian fossil fuels since the invasion.
In fact, three of the world’s largest commodity traders—Vitol, Trafigura and Glencore—transported more oil from Russian ports than they had done in the same period over at least the last three years, our analysis reveals. They all also have stakes in Russian state-owned oil companies.
Read our investigation in the Financial Times
The enablers of Russia’s trade in fossil fuels are propping up a regime that murders innocent civilians. These companies now have a choice. Exclude Russian fossil fuels from their business or remain complicit in Putin’s war crimes.
Onwards,
The Global Witness Team
