EU urged to sanction Russian 'shadow fleet' after Baltic incident
The "shadow fleet" is responsible for transporting approximately 60% of the oil exported from Russia, and the European Union has significant scope to address this issue, according to Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur. He mentioned that he would discuss the recent incident in the Baltic Sea at the meeting with EU ministers.
The minister, who travelled to meet his counterparts from the EU member states, referred to an incident in the Gulf of Finland. The Estonian Navy intercepted a tanker named Jaguar, part of the Russian "shadow fleet," within Estonian waters. The Estonians redirected it back to Russian territorial waters, prompting Russia to send a fighter jet, which subsequently violated NATO airspace.
For the first time, the Russian military has openly backed the "shadow fleet" by providing an escort to a tanker carrying military supplies. At the same time, Russia is strengthening its military footprint in the Baltic Sea, particularly in the Gulf of Finland. In response, Pevkur emphasized the need to consider sanctioning the "shadow fleet" as a countermeasure.
He stressed that the "shadow fleet" transports about 60% of Russian oil, and the European Union can take significant steps to counteract this. He believes that additional EU sanctions on Russia should specifically target these ships, as doing so would significantly affect Russia's economy.
He added that Ukrainian authorities have identified around 500 vessels operating as part of the so-called "shadow fleet," many of which have yet to be targeted by existing sanctions.
"Russia does not want to end this war"
The minister also referred to a phone conversation between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
He emphasized that Russia has no real intention of bringing the war to an end, as it remains focused on taking control of at least four Ukrainian regions and shows no sign of relenting in its efforts. In his view, Russia's attack on Ukraine with over 200 drones just before the phone call serves as evidence of this intent.
The "shadow fleet" consists of old, often uninsured vessels sailing under various flags, which Russia unofficially utilises to transport its oil, circumventing Western sanctions. These ships pose a significant risk to EU waters because, in events such as oil spills, there is no accountability. The West is gradually imposing sanctions on these vessels.
