Russia's shadow war at sea episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 3, 2026 · 30 MIN

Russia's shadow war at sea

from The Slow Newscast

There are over a thousand oil tankers at sea that are helping finance Russia's war in Ukraine in plain sight. And they're not just trading in sanctioned oil, they're sabotaging the very infrastructure we all rely on. The UK and EU know about them, they pass right by our coasts, but so far have been unable to stop them at any sort of scale. This is the story of a shadow ship, sailing its way through sanctions, sabotage and subterfuge.Credits: Reporter/Producer: Matt RussellSound design: Dominic DelargyArtwork: Lola WilliamsExecutive Producer: Gary MarshallEditor: Jasper CorbettSubscribe to The Observer today: https://observer.co.uk/subscribe And get access to:Our podcasts before anyone elseA daily edition, curated by our editors 7 days a weekPuzzles from the inventors of the cryptic crosswordRecipes for every occasionFree tickets to join Observer events in our newsroom or onlineClick here to subscribe today for just £1 for your first month. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Feb 3, 2026

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