Russian jets breach NATO airspace to shield shadow fleet tanker
The Estonian navy intercepted a tanker from the so-called shadow fleet on Thursday when a Russian Su-35 entered NATO airspace to cover it. This is the first instance of Russian aviation taking an active protective stance toward such a unit, cautions General Vahur Karus of the Estonian army.
According to the general, the Russian Su-35 "covered" the tanker for approximately 2.5 hours, violating Estonian and NATO airspace for about a minute. In response, Portuguese F-16 fighter jets stationed at the Amari base, as part of NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission, conducted a reconnaissance flight.
This incident marked the first time the Russian air force took an "active protective stance" toward such a unit, said the Chief of the General Staff of the Estonian Armed Forces, Gen. Vahur Karus.
Estonia's reaction to the incident
The Estonian navy, supported by a reconnaissance-patrol aircraft and a helicopter, escorted the tanker Jaguar, which was on its way to Primorsk in the Leningrad region.
The ship declared Gabon as its flag state. However, Gabonese authorities stated that they had revoked this right as of May 10 following sanctions imposed by the United Kingdom.
When the ship entered Estonia's exclusive economic zone, the navy attempted to determine its status. Despite a lack of response, Estonian services did not plan to board. The decision was made to guide the ship into Russian waters to avoid any threat to underwater infrastructure, including the EstLink 1 power cable.
Diplomatic consequences
Following the Russian aircraft's airspace violation, the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Russian chargé d'affaires in Tallinn and handed him a diplomatic note.
The airspace violation by the Russian fighter to protect a tanker from the shadow fleet is a real example of the serious threat Russia poses to NATO as a whole, said Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna.
Struggling with dangerous tankers
As reported in money.pl, Estonia, which has recently faced several incidents of undersea power cables connecting it with countries like Finland being cut, has approached NATO to deploy a "deterrent fleet" in the Baltic Sea. It has also tightened preventive measures against the so-called shadow fleet. Since June 2024, it has checked the documents of about 458 ships and conducted inspections of seven ships at anchorages. These efforts have led to the detection of further forgeries and irregularities.
In April, Estonian authorities detained the ship Kiwala heading to the Russian port of Ust-Luga, which was found to be a unit subject to sanctions by Canada, the European Union, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The captain was reportedly a Chinese national, with most of the 24-member crew coming from China and Mauritania.
The European Commission has created tools to control ships passing through its territory. It also targeted ship insurance and certification. Without obtaining a certificate of navigability, it is impossible to purchase insurance or gain permission to enter ports. According to maritime law, the lack of this insurance automatically prohibits transport. However, this control is feasible in ports and very difficult to enforce at sea.
