{"id":49517,"date":"2026-06-09T05:55:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T03:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/danwatch.dk\/leaked-documents-putins-mercenaries-sailing-in-through-denmark\/"},"modified":"2026-06-18T12:06:45","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T10:06:45","slug":"leaked-documents-putins-mercenaries-sailing-in-through-denmark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/danwatch.dk\/en\/leaked-documents-putins-mercenaries-sailing-in-through-denmark\/","title":{"rendered":"Leaked documents: Putin’s mercenaries sail through Denmark"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It was almost three o\u2019clock in the morning on 11 April 2025. The Estonian Navy, together with the coastguard, deployed a minesweeper, a helicopter and patrol vessels. <\/p>\n\n

In the Baltic Sea, the tanker Kiwala was slowly approaching from the west when the authorities moved in on the 244-meter-long dark fleet vessel. The Chinese captain was ordered to stop and follow the coastguard, which he did. <\/p>\n\n

Much to Russia\u2019s displeasure. <\/p>\n\n

Through the international collaboration Shadow Fleet Mercenaries<\/em>, Danwatch can for the first time reveal how, following the Kiwala incident, Russia has deployed covert soldiers on the dark fleet to monitor and control the crews on the ships. <\/p>\n\n

At least 83 Russians with experience from the Russian military, as well as private military groups, the police and intelligence services, have sailed through Denmark 140 times on 65 different ships.<\/p>\n\n

Almost all of these voyages took place from May 2025 to February 2026. In total, 58 of the 65 ships carried oil sold by the Russian state-owned company Rosneft. <\/p>\n\n

Four soldiers now reveal in covert footage that their task is to persuade the captains to defy requests and orders from NATO, so that the ships are not detained. <\/p>\n\n

”My direct task was to supervise the crew, the captain and the first mate. I identified who was telling, who they were working for, and what type of information was being sent from the ship to shore,” says mercenary Arkadiy on hidden camera. <\/p>\n\n

He says he has eight years of experience as head of security for a \u201cprivate military group\u201d in Syria, where the Wagner Group in particular has operated. <\/p>\n\n

The investigation Shadow Fleet Mercenaries <\/em>is a European collaboration between Danwatch, Dossier Center, Follow The Money, The Times, S\u00fcddeutsche Zeitung, NDR, Delfi, OCCRP, SourceMaterial, Pointer, VRT NWS, Expressen, Helsingin Sanomat and De Tijd. <\/p>\n\n

Projektet er baseret p\u00e5 skjulte optagelser af soldaterne og en gennemgang af mere end 2000 bes\u00e6tningslister fra den russiske skyggefl\u00e5de, som Dossier Center har anskaffet – et medie, der er ejet af Putin-kritikeren Mikhail Khodorkovsky.<\/p>\n\n

The recordings were made by a Russian-speaking journalist from Dossier Center, but produced in ongoing dialogue with Danwatch and the other media partners.<\/p>\n\n

An analysis carried out by Danwatch and our media partners of the soldiers\u2019 backgrounds shows that more than half have worked for Russian private military companies (PMCs) such as Wagner, Moran Security and Africa Corps \u2013 or have served in the Russian army. <\/p>\n\n

In addition, at least four are employed by a company that, according to an expert, is directly controlled by Russia\u2019s military intelligence service, the GRU.<\/p>\n\n

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\"Iurii\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Former unit commander in the Wagner Group. Has fought in Syria and Ukraine and took part in the siege of Mariupol. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n