US EditionRussian Fighter Jet Protects ‘Shadow Fleet’ Vessel in First Such Move by Moscow, Officials Say
- On May 13, a Russian Su-35 jet briefly entered Estonian airspace to shadow the unflagged tanker Jaguar near Estonia in the Baltic Sea.
- This event reflects Russia’s shift to overtly protect its shadow fleet, a clandestine group of about 300 to 400 aging ships used to bypass sanctions and regulations.
- The escort followed an unsuccessful Estonian navy attempt to intercept the tanker, which was sanctioned by the UK and linked to Russia’s war economy by transporting oil exports.
- Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said Russia is signaling its readiness to escalate, while experts like Charly Salonius-Pasternak called for coordinated EU, NATO, and Baltic action.
- This development suggests intensified geopolitical tensions requiring stronger political and economic measures to curb the shadow fleet amid Russia’s destabilizing regional actions.
17 Articles
17 Articles
Nato Warns of a New Dimension in the Sanctions War: Russia Protects "Shadow Fleet" with Fighter Jets
Putin's "Shadow Fleet" receives military protection: Russian fighter jet violates NATO airspace over Estonia. Tankers bypass Western oil sanctions.
Estonia-Russia ship standoff portends a harsher tone on the Baltic Sea
MILAN — Russia’s detention of a Greek-owned ship that departed from Estonia – days after Estonian forces tried to intercept a Russia-bound tanker – signals Moscow’s willingness to deploy military power more overtly to protect its shadow-fleet, a vital pillar of its war economy, experts say.Russia temporarily stopped the oil tanker in its territorial waters on Sunday following the Estonian navy’s attempt last week to stop the unflagged and unresp…
Until last week, a secret fleet of ships carrying Russian oil around the world showed no clear ties to the Kremlin. This changed when, in a dramatic escalation, Russia used a fighter plane in an apparent...
By Joseph Ataman Until last week, a secret fleet of ships transporting Russian oil around the world showed no clear ties to the Kremlin. That changed when, in a dramatic escalation, Russia used a fighter jet in an apparent attempt to protect one of the tankers believed to be part of the fleet. After contacting the Jaguar—an unflagged tanker sanctioned by the United Kingdom earlier this month—on May 13 to conduct inspections, a Russian Su-35 figh…
On maritime traffic maps, it looks like ships are dancing in a loop near the Finnish maritime border. In reality, there are no ships there.
Experts: Russia playing a whole new game in the Baltic Sea
Experts and politicians agree that by sending a warplane to escort a shadow fleet tanker, Russia has started playing an entirely new game in the Baltic Sea — one that calls for swift conclusions and responses from coastal states, the EU and other relevant parties.
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