Russian Watchmen Aboard Moscow’s Sanctioned ‘Shadow Fleet’ Tankers
Other men honed their security skills in police forces or other state agencies. For instance, leaked records show that Evgenii Skorovarov, 45, served in a special rapid response unit of Russia’s customs service. When contacted by an undercover reporter posing as a recruit, Skorovarov denied working in maritime security. Still, his date of birth matches his entry on the crew list — and his profile picture on the Russian messaging platform VK appears to show him standing aboard a large ship.
Rzhevsky and Skorovarov did not respond to requests for comment sent openly by reporters.
Standard Duties and Culture Clashes
Intelligence sources have previously told OCCRP that the Russian men are deployed to deter authorities from boarding, inspecting, or potentially seizing the ships that form an economic lifeline for Moscow. In the interviews with undercover reporters, several watchmen confirmed that this is one of their most important tasks.
“The usual standard duties,” one explained, include “monitoring the vessel’s crew to ensure compliance with all protocols for countering the detention or seizure of the vessel.” Part of the role was also to ensure the largely foreign crews manning the oil tankers acted in Russia’s best interests, the men said.
Mikhail recalled high tensions and “endless, endless requests” — though it was not clear from whom — near European countries or when passing through the English Channel on the way to India. “You have to keep an eye on all this, because some assistant captain might blurt out something inappropriate,” he said.
He also related an encounter near Denmark when his ship was boarded by two French-speaking pilots, whose role is to help captains navigate in local conditions.
“The first thing [one of them] did, he rushed at me with a question: ‘Who are you? Who are you? Why are you on the bridge?’” Mikhail recalled, referring to the ship’s command center. “I told them, I’m a radio engineer, I’m here because I’m supposed to be.”
Mikhail said he ended up leaving the bridge and standing on the deck, watching the pilots through the window for hours.
“I stood there practically the whole night,” he said. “Because I thought … there might be some kind of provocation … I thought, even some boarding parties might come. So I wanted to be ready and to have the chance at least to communicate that we’ve been attacked.”
Ordinary Sailors’ Perspectives
Reporters also spoke to several ordinary sailors who worked on shadow fleet vessels to learn about the role of the Russian men on board.
“Lei,” who worked on a shadow fleet tanker for nine months and asked not to be identified out of fear of losing his livelihood, told a reporter from SourceMaterial, a U.K.-based investigative platform, that he first saw the Russians in mid-2025. They proudly discussed their military backgrounds with the rest of the crew, Lei recalled, showing photos of themselves on past deployments, posing with weapons and armored vehicles. “One was the Russian officer,” Lei added. “He was in very good rank.”
Lei eventually came to believe the watchmen were not on board simply to monitor the crew, but to act as a link between the vessel and Russia’s military. “If some forces come behind us,” he said, “they should inform their Russian Navy, so they can help our battle.”
Another seaman whose ship carried Russian guards said that when they boarded at Egypt’s Port Said, the chief officer on the vessel simply told the crew “they were coming from the owner’s side.”
Original Article: Eyes On The Crew: The Russian Watchmen Aboard Moscow’s Sanctioned ‘Shadow Fleet’ Tankers — Occrp