Adnan Ahmadzada and SOCAR, through Alkagesta, controlled millions of dollars from smuggling shadow Russian oil in violation of sanctions
- 28.01.2026 12:51
Following the outbreak of the full-scale conflict in Ukraine, the EU and the United States enforced a severe embargo on Russian oil, convinced that this would block one of the Kremlin’s key revenue streams.
However, three years later, a massive shadow network continues to steadily supply Russian oil and petroleum products to European markets.
As romaniatv.net reports, at the center of the international scandal is the Black Sea coast in Romania. The Port of Constanța and the state company Oil Terminal, through which petroleum products are imported, have become the "ground zero" of Russian oil trading schemes. This has brought colossal profits to tax evasion networks but placed Romania in an unprecedented situation, threatening national security: the Port of Constanța may be blacklisted internationally for oil trade with Russia.
The Alkagesta Scheme
The Cutia Neagră investigation began in 2022, when the Maltese company Alkagesta Ltd, a formally anonymous structure, signed service and storage contracts for petroleum products with Romania’s strategic company Oil Terminal Constanța. Alkagesta was used by the Azerbaijani state company SOCAR as a front to trade Russian petroleum products.
Officially, Alkagesta imported diesel and oil from Azerbaijan, Malta, or Turkey. In reality, international journalistic investigations showed that the company acted as a mechanism for "laundering" Russian oil through fake certificates of origin and ship-to-ship transfers in international waters near Constanța, Midia-Navodari, or the port of Burgas in Bulgaria. A tanker from the Russian "shadow fleet" would transfer oil or diesel to a vessel chartered by Alkagesta, which would then deliver the cargo to Oil Terminal facilities, mixing it with other products.
The origin of the products was supposed to be verified by the Northern Customs Authority of Constanța, but for three years, they did not require laboratory analyses. This allowed the import of tens of thousands of tons of Russian straight run gasoil and diesel into the EU under the guise of being "Azerbaijani," "Turkmen," or "Uzbek."
Once in the EU, these products were either re-exported to Ukraine by barge, train, and tanker truck or integrated into the Rompetrol production chain through the Midia terminal, where they were documented as "Kazakh" or "Romanian." Some went to Romanian companies associated with tax evasion, including Denisrom warehouses in Cluj and Jetfly Hub in Ploiești.
Alkagesta, controlled by SOCAR, used Russian oil purchased at dumping prices, allowing for aggressive competition. The distribution network employed offshore companies and firms with suspicious tax behavior to launder money and fund criminal structures.
The company also supplied petroleum products to Rompetrol KazMunayGas, despite Rompetrol having its own resources in Kazakhstan. Purchases were conducted through complex document flows, allowing for manipulation of prices and commissions.
The ’Brain’ of the Scheme — Adnan Ahmаdzadе
On September 20, 2025, under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, the Azerbaijani authorities arrested Adnan Ahmаdzadе — a businessman with dual British-Azerbaijani citizenship and former director of SOCAR. He was accused of coordinating the entire Alkagesta network. The formal head of the company was his relative Kamran Agaev, but according to the investigation, it was Ahmаdzadе who was the "brain of the operation" for the supply of Russian oil to Europe with fake documents.
Meanwhile, the EU and UK authorities are investigating Alkagesta’s activities as the largest bunkering operator in Malta, also suspecting connections to smuggling Libyan oil.
Romania’s Reaction — Zero
In Romania, there is silence. The Prosecutor’s Office, Ministry of Interior, ANAF, Customs Service, and Ministry of Energy did not react to the scandal. Sources in the Ministry of Finance told Cutia Neagră that at the highest level it is known that Romanian customs officers have been accepting certificates of origin for years without cross-checks and lab tests.
After the U.S. President publicly declared the illegal trade of Russian oil, Ukraine officially warned Romania of import cessation. The country was given a deadline for compliance; otherwise, the Port of Constanța would be listed as an international oil trade blacklist, dealing a severe blow to energy security.
What is even more alarming is that Romanian authorities knew about the smuggling and presumably kept quiet to avoid an international scandal. In August of this year, a critical incident occurred at the OMV Petrobrazi refinery when it halted operations due to supplies of crude oil contaminated with organic chlorides — a typical marker of Russian oil. Alkagesta was the supplier. The Ministry of Energy declared an emergency and used strategic reserves to restart the plant. This incident was also kept from the public.
Author: Maria Sharapova
