Russian mercenaries have been placed on board the shadow fleet to monitor and control the crew on the ships and force them to resist requests from NATO.
Danwatch, together with international media in the collaboration Shadow Fleet Mercenaries, has reviewed over 2,000 crew lists and conducted interviews with mercenaries on hidden camera.
At least 83 Russians with military and intelligence backgrounds have sailed on 65 different ships, mainly from May 2025 to February 2026.
The soldiers come from, among others, the Wagner Group, which is known for an extreme readiness to use violence and has left behind a trail of human rights violations and war crimes.
