Kremlin Guards Shadow Fleet in the Baltic Sea

Russia is taking measures to protect its sanctions-evading ‘shadow fleet,’ according to state-controlled media.

The Russian navy is said to have begun escorting the ships through the Baltic Sea.

Nikolai Patrushev, who is part of Vladimir Putin’s inner circle and has been given special responsibility for maritime issues during the war years, accuses Western countries and NATO of engaging in piracy. He points to the fact that Estonia recently attempted to stop a sanctioned ship in the Gulf of Finland.

The measures are primarily intended to tighten security around Russia’s important ports around St. Petersburg and in the Kaliningrad exclave, it is said.

– The proposals put forward were supported by the Russian president, Nikolai Patrushev is quoted as saying by the propaganda news agency Tass.

Flag of convenience

The EU and others have imposed sanctions on several hundred ships that are part of Russia’s unofficial ‘shadow fleet,’ in which thousands of ships of varying seaworthiness and flying foreign flags sail to and from Russia with sanctioned cargo.

In Finland, there have been recent reports of increased activity by the Russian fleet in the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Finland.

– Russia has begun to protect its own maritime transport, especially its shadow fleet, and has increased its military presence here, Marko Laaksonen, commander of the Finnish Navy, told MTV recently.

Laaksonen emphasised that this does not in itself pose a major threat to Finland, but that it contributes to tensions in the area.

‘A completely new development’

Russia has always had a military presence in the area, but the Russian military actively protecting cargo ships is new, says Finnish Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen to Yle:

– There have been military escort operations, with the presence of armed forces. This is a completely new development.