Fact-check: The claim is verified: A Kharon article titled 'How Can the West Sink the Shadow Fleet? We Asked Four Experts' (Feb 19, 2026) cites Atlantic Council experts Kimberly Donovan and Maia Nikoladze on Western approaches to shadow fleets evading Russian oil sanctions. The Atlantic Council's own page confirms this citation. X shows ongoing real-time discussion of Russia shadow fleet sanctions, consistent with the topic, with no contradictions.
Donovan and Nikoladze cited in a Kharon article discussing the West’s approach to shadow fleets.
Atlantic Council experts Donovan and Nikoladze were cited in a Kharon article examining the West's approach to shadow fleets, which are vessels used to circumvent sanctions on Russian oil exports. The article addresses ongoing efforts by Western governments to counter sanction evasion through maritime channels.