Russian Navy Begins Escorting Shadow Tanker Fleet Through Gulf of Finland

The Russian Navy has begun escorting the shadow tanker fleet transporting oil from Russian ports through the Gulf of Finland following the detention of a couple of oil tankers by Estonian authorities invoking western sanctions.

The West continues to attempt to control the Russian "shadow fleet", thanks to which the Russian Federation successfully circumvents energy sanctions. In order to counteract the steps of unfriendly countries, Moscow initiates military escort of tankers in the Gulf of Finland in the Baltic, Russian media reported.

“The Russian military presence in the region has always been noticeable, this is not news. However, the new feature is that the Russian Federation protects tankers of its shadow fleet in the narrow passage of the Gulf of Finland. There is a military escort, the presence of armed forces. This is a completely new feature,” the head of the Finnish Ministry of Defense, Antti Häkkänen was quoted as saying in the local media.

A fortnight ago, Estonian ships attempted to intercept the Russian tanker, “Jaguar” in the Gulf of Finland.  A Russian Navy Su-35S fighter flew close to Finnish Coast Guard vessel which gave up on its plan to “hijack” the oil tanker.

Helsinki, for its part, accused the Russian Federation of two Russian aircraft invading Finnish territory near the coast of Pervoo. The country's authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.

Earlier, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said that Tallinn knows about the Russian "shadow fleet," which numbers up to 500 ships. “We share information with allies and will act if necessary – as we did with Kiwala,” Pevkur told local  media.

The Kiwala tanker was detained by Estonian authorities in Muuga Bay near Aegna Island. The vessel was returning from India to the port of Ust-Luga. Tallinn believes that the ship was “illegally” transporting oil from the Russian Federation.

Meanwhile, the Russian Federation on May 18 detained the Estonian tanker Green Admire for “passing through Russian waters.”