Russian jet protects shadow fleet - Moscow's first mission

Russian jet protects shadow fleet - Moscow's first mission

Until last week, a mysterious fleet of ships transporting Russian oil around the world showed no clear ties to the Kremlin. This situation changed dramatically when Russia deployed a fighter jet to apparently protect one of the tankers believed to be part of the fleet.

Incident with the tanker Jaguar

On May 13, the unregistered ship Jaguar, which was taken by Great Britain earlier that month sanctioned was contacted by the Estonian Armed Forces to carry out checks. A Russian Su-35 fighter jet flew over the ship, which was in Estonian airspace. Estonian forces eventually escorted the tanker out of Estonian waters.

Reactions of the international community

“This is something completely new,” Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told a NATO meeting in Turkey on Thursday. Russia has now “officially linked up with the so-called shadow fleet,” he added. Experts also agree. "This appears to be a fundamental shift in the Kremlin's thinking," Ed Arnold, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), told CNN.

The Shadow Fleet and its environmental impact

The Shadow Fleet is estimated to contain hundreds of ships that have no official ties to Russia. Many of these old, poorly maintained ships have in some cases Environmental damage caused and were from some also associated with damage to important submarine cables off the Baltic Sea coast. Russia denies any responsibility for the damage.

First military response to economic sanctions

The use of "military measures" for the first time in response to economic sanctions is "evidence of the scale of the threat we face on NATO's eastern front," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told reporters at the meeting in Turkey.

Strengthen monitoring and sanctions

Monitoring and sanctioning the shadow fleet is effective and needs to be further intensified, the Estonian Ministry of Defense said in a statement. The incident shows that Western sanctions are having an effect. CNN was unable to locate the registered owner of the Jaguar. The Russian Defense Ministry did not respond to CNN's request for comment.

Planned new sanctions against Russia

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that a new sanctions package could potentially be adopted as early as Tuesday after President Vladimir Putin did not attend talks between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey. Merz had previously said that Russia's "shadow fleet", which "permanently operates with up to 300 ships in the Baltic Sea", would be targeted in this package.

Further developments in the Baltic Sea region

In a possible retaliatory move, a Greek-owned oil tanker ship, the Green Admire, was detained by Russia on Sunday while moving through Russian waters on a course agreed upon by Estonia, Finland and Russia. Estonian authorities have carried out more than 450 inspections of ships in Tallinn-controlled Baltic Sea waters since June last year, including the Gulf of Finland, one of the main arteries for Russian foreign trade.