The EU's 3 biggest shipping countries have doubled Russian oil shipments since the invasion of Ukraine, and it's undermining attempts to hurt Putin

Greek, Cyprus, and Maltese shipping companies have doubled the amount of Russian oil they transport since the invasion of Ukraine in February.

The average amount of Russian oil moved by shipping companies and vessels in May was 58 million barrels, according to an analysis by Global Witness. In February, they transported 31 million barrels. The three countries have the largest shipping fleets.

The EU sanctions against Russia are being undermined by the increase in oil tanker freight rates since the invasion of Ukraine.

A senior data investigations adviser at Global Witness said that ships linked to Greece, Cyprus and Malta are making a mockery of the EU effort to sanction Putin's war machine.

London's Sunday Times reported that Greek shipping companies were involved in "ship-to-ship" transfers of Russian oil to mask the transportation of the fuel. According to the Sunday Times, there has been an increase in the movement of oil between a neutral party and a Russian ship.

According to The Independent and Sunday Times, there is no suggestion that the companies and ships transporting Russian oil are violating sanctions.

The EU agreed on a ban on Russian oil imports to the bloc last week. The EU scrapped plans to stop EU-owned ships from transporting Russian oil to other countries.

The Financial Times reported last week that the EU and the UK plan to prevent ships carrying Russian oil from taking out insurance.

Global Witness didn't respond immediately to Insider's request for the report.