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Myanmar Adopts Sanction-Busting Tactics to Fuel Air War Campaign, Investigation Reveals
Military-ruled Myanmar appears to be following the playbook of sanctioned nations like Russia, Iran, and North Korea by employing deceptive shipping methods to disguise aviation fuel imports used for air attacks in the country’s ongoing civil war, according to a new investigation by Amnesty International.
The London-based human rights organization revealed Monday that its analysis of trade, shipping, satellite, and port authority data indicates the Myanmar military is importing jet fuel on “ghost ships” that deliberately disable their location-tracking systems to avoid detection.
The investigation found that Myanmar imported over 109,000 tonnes of aviation fuel in 2025, marking a 69% increase from the previous year and the highest volume since the military coup that overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government in 2021.
“Five years after the coup, our analysis shows that the Myanmar junta continues to evade sanctions and find new ways to import the jet fuel it uses to bomb its own civilians — with 2025 being the deadliest year on record for aerial attacks since the junta takeover in 2021,” said Montse Ferrer, Amnesty’s regional research director.
Resistance groups opposing Myanmar’s military government have long emphasized that cutting off aviation fuel supplies is crucial to limiting the junta’s capacity to wage war against its own population. The military’s air campaign has resulted in significant civilian casualties, though precise figures remain difficult to verify.
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a watchdog group tracking political arrests and casualties, more than 7,700 civilians have been killed by state security forces since the 2021 coup triggered nationwide resistance. Many of these casualties have occurred in areas where civilians have no effective defense against air attacks.
Despite targeted international sanctions led by the United States and Britain, the military government has continued its aerial bombardment campaign. The junta also receives substantial arms support from Russia and China, two major allies of Myanmar’s ruling generals.
Amnesty’s investigation confirmed at least nine separate shipments of aviation fuel delivered to Myanmar by four vessels between mid-2024 and the end of 2025. More concerning, the report uncovered significant changes in how aviation fuel enters the country.
These new tactics include the use of “ghost ships” that either turn off their Automatic Identification System (AIS) radios or broadcast false positions. The vessels frequently change names, flags, or ownership, and often load fuel through ship-to-ship transfers in open waters rather than at conventional ports and terminals.
These evasive maneuvers mirror methods employed for years by sanctioned oil exporters like Iran, Venezuela, and particularly Russia following international sanctions imposed after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. North Korea, primarily an oil importer, reportedly uses similar “shadow fleet” tactics to circumvent international restrictions.
While Amnesty acknowledged it couldn’t confirm the suppliers or origin of the aviation fuel, the organization noted that the evasion tactics “mirror methods commonly used by tankers that move sanctioned fuel from Iran.”
The Myanmar military government did not immediately respond to inquiries about Amnesty’s findings.
The new report builds on Amnesty’s 2022 investigation, which revealed that multinational companies based in Singapore and Thailand were part of a supply chain delivering aviation fuel to Myanmar. Following the imposition of sanctions on parts of that supply chain, fuel shipments were bought and resold multiple times to obscure their origin.
“At least nine shipments reached Myanmar in 2023 and early 2024, many routed through a Vietnam storage unit, revealing deliberate sanctions-evasion tactics,” the report stated.
Amnesty has called for a comprehensive ban on shipping aviation fuel to Myanmar and urged all companies involved in the supply chain to withdraw their services to prevent further civilian harm. The organization emphasizes that current sanctions have proven ineffective in stopping the military’s air campaign, which continues to inflict devastating losses on Myanmar’s civilian population.
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8 Comments
Disturbing to see Myanmar’s military junta finding devious ways to evade sanctions and fuel their brutal air campaign against civilians. This highlights the urgent need for effective international action to cut off their access to resources and hold them accountable.
You’re right, the use of ‘ghost ships’ to secretly import aviation fuel is a concerning tactic that undermines efforts to restrict the junta’s ability to wage war. The international community must remain vigilant and take strong steps to enforce sanctions.
This report on Myanmar’s use of ‘ghost ships’ to circumvent sanctions and fuel their air attacks is deeply disturbing. It demonstrates the lengths the military regime will go to in order to maintain their grip on power, even at the expense of innocent civilian lives. The international community must act swiftly to close these loopholes.
This investigation into Myanmar’s sanction-busting tactics to fuel their deadly air attacks is deeply troubling. The reported 69% increase in aviation fuel imports in 2025 is a stark reminder of the junta’s disregard for human rights and the rule of law. Stronger international action is clearly needed to hold them accountable and cut off their access to these critical resources.
The reported 69% increase in Myanmar’s aviation fuel imports in 2025 is deeply troubling. This underscores how the military regime is prioritizing its violent air campaign over the wellbeing of the country’s citizens. Stronger measures are clearly needed to cut off their access to these critical resources.
Absolutely. The junta’s willingness to go to such lengths to conceal these fuel imports shows their disregard for human rights and the rule of law. Effective monitoring and enforcement of sanctions is crucial to limit their ability to wage this campaign of terror from the skies.
The revelations about Myanmar’s deceptive tactics to import aviation fuel for their air strikes are extremely concerning. This underscores the urgent need for robust enforcement of sanctions and closer scrutiny of global shipping and trade to cut off the junta’s access to critical resources.
I agree, the use of ‘ghost ships’ to disguise these fuel imports is a particularly troubling development. It highlights the regime’s willingness to go to great lengths to evade accountability and continue their campaign of violence against the people of Myanmar.