At the same time, all three vessels are well known to Ukrainian special services as key elements of Russia’s “shadow fleet”:

• James II: According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence, it has been involved since June 2024 in the illegal export of raw materials from Russian ports in circumvention of the G7 price cap. In May 2025, it was placed under UK sanctions.
• Altura: in just eighteen months (from January 2024 to July 2025), it managed to transport around 6 million barrels of Russian oil. It is under tough sanctions imposed by the EU, Switzerland, the UK, and Canada.
• Velora: over the same period, it transported 5.2 million barrels of oil for the aggressor’s budget. Since October 2025, it has been subject to Western sanctions packages.

https://censor.net/en/videonews/4005554/drones-hit-russian-shadow-fleet-tankers-near-t-rkiye