Zelenskyy Warns Russian Oil Revenues Are Funding War
According to RFE/RL, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticized an easing of sanctions on Russian energy, writing on X that "every dollar paid for Russian oil is money for the war."
His statement on April 19 comes after the United States prolonged its Russian oil waiver earlier in the week with figures showing that Moscow nearly doubled its oil revenue in March amid soaring energy prices as Iran continues to disrupt shipping on the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
Zelenskyy claimed that more than 110 tankers from Russia’s shadow fleet are currently at sea, carrying over 12 million tons of Russian oil worth $10 billion.
He added that "the continued easing of sanctions against Russia does not reflect the real situation in the war or in diplomacy and fuels the Russian leadership’s illusion that they can continue the war."
Zelenskyy said that Russia had launched more than 2,360 attack drones, 1,320 guided bombs, and nearly 60 missiles over the past week.
The latest attacks included an overnight strike on Chernihiv that killed a 16-year-old boy and wounded four others, local officials said on April 19.
Separately, in Ukraine's major southern city of Kherson, a man was killed in a taxi that was targeted by a Russian drone. In neighboring Mykolayiv, two districts were left without power following an attack by Shahed drones.
Moscow has also continued to attack Ukraine's railway infrastructure, which has been vital for the country's volunteer and evacuation efforts. In the Poltava region, a drone struck a train locomotive.
"It is important that Russian tankers are stopped, not allowed to deliver oil to ports," Zelenskyy said in his X post. "The aggressor's oil exports must decrease, and Ukraine's long-range sanctions continue to work toward that goal."
Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, Olha Stefanishyna, also called on Washington to renew its sanctions on Moscow, saying they are in the interest of both countries.
"Russia must not be allowed to profit from the actions of its ally Iran," she wrote on X. "It is in our common interest to limit the funding Russia uses for its attacks on Ukraine & for aiding US adversaries."
While the West has set a global cap on trade with Russian seaborne petroleum products, Russia has managed to circumvent this with its so-called shadow fleet of vessels -- often with murky ownership and insurance structures -- which continues to trade the products.
Figures show that revenues from Russian exports of both crude and refined oil products reached $19 billion in March -- up from $9.7 billion in February.
