Press Release: Syrian survivors and victims’ families file landmark case against Danish company for its potential involvement in war crimes
Odense, Denmark: [27 -11- 2025] Seven survivors and family members of victims of airstrikes in Syria have filed a criminal complaint in Denmark calling on the authorities to assess the possible complicity of Dan-Bunkering – currently restructuring as ‘Fueling Maritime’ – in war crimes and crimes against humanity for supplying jet fuel to Russian forces that was used in unlawful airstrikes against civilians in Syria. The complaint was prepared and filed with the support of The Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM), Syrian Archive and Action for Sama (AFS) and on the basis of years-long efforts to investigate and document the impacts of airstrikes in Syria while Dan-Bunkering was trading in jet fuel.
In 2021, Bunker Holding and its subsidiary Dan-Bunkering were prosecuted for breaching international sanctions by supplying two Russian companies acting as general agents for the Russian military with approximately 172,000 metric tons of jet fuel between 2015 and 2017 — through 33 shipments worth around USD 94 million — an amount sufficient to fuel more than 30,000 sorties. These transactions happened during a time when Russian and allied forces were conducting airstrikes on essential civilian infrastructure including schools (such as Hass School), hospitals (including Al-Quds and Al-Sakhour hospitals in Aleppo), and residential neighborhoods (including one strike that hit a bakery in Hraytan). Between 2015 and 2017, this aerial bombing campaign killed and injured thousands of civilians and extensively destroyed civilian infrastructure protected under international humanitarian law.
The 2021 sanctions trial confirmed that the fuel sold and transported through the company’s operations was more than sufficient to have fuelled all Russian military aircraft sorties in Syria during the relevant time period. However, the scope of that trial did not extend to examining the company’s potential liability for any unlawful airstrikes conducted in that time.
The filing asks for a thorough investigation to be initiated and that – should their criminal responsibility be determined – the Danish authorities hold the company, relevant management, and employees accountable for enabling unlawful attacks that formed part of a widespread military campaign against Syrian civilians.
The organizations supporting this filing stress that holding private companies accountable for their roles in armed conflicts is essential to achieving justice for victims, preventing impunity, and deterring prioritization of profit over the lives of civilians.
This filing and the underlying evidence demonstrate that jet fuel was not a neutral commodity, but a critical enabler of a devastating aerial bombing campaign against Syrian civilians.
“Myself, my family, and my colleagues directly experienced the effects of all of the many decisions over time that led to hundreds of hospital attacks throughout the Syrian conflict. At Al Quds Hospital in April 2016, we were doing the essential and serious work of providing medical care to people living through conflict, of saving lives. Any person or business proven to be responsible for putting this work at risk must be held accountable for their decisions.” — Dr. Hamza al-Kateab, CEO of Action For Sama and manager of Al Quds Hospital at the time of the 27 April 2016 incident included in the filing.
“True justice is not achieved merely by establishing responsibility, but by ensuring that Syrian victims and the Syrian state receive their full right to compensation and reparations. Companies that contributed — directly or indirectly — to enabling crimes against civilians must bear their legal and moral responsibility, including compensating for the lives lost and the infrastructure destroyed.” — Mazen Darwish, Director of the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM).
The organizations supporting this effort call on the Danish authorities and the European Union to:
- Launch a thorough investigation into Dan-Bunkering’s potential complicity including any possible individual responsibility on the part of its executives and employees;
- Strengthen oversight of the energy and maritime shipping sectors to prevent their use or potential use in enabling international crimes;
- Reinforce accountability mechanisms to ensure that corporate profits never come at the expense of human lives and international law.
For the full story, visit: Fuelling the Conflict: Could a Danish Company be Criminally Liable for Russian Airstrikes in Syria?
For press inquiries, contact:
[email protected] (Rosenberg Khawaja Law Firm / Eddie Omar Rosenberg Khawaja, legal counsel for the filing parties)
[email protected] (SCM)
[email protected] (Action For Sama)
[email protected] (Syrian Archive)
