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Metro
15-05-2025
- Metro
Russia and Nato minutes from international incident over Baltic Sea tanker
Gergana Krasteva Published May 15, 2025 9:50am Updated May 15, 2025 10:14am Link is copied Comments War now feels dangerously close on Nato's eastern flank after a Russian fighter jet tore into Estonia's airspace. It was a brief violation – lasting for about a minute – but it was enough to trigger an emergency alarm in the Baltic Sea. It happened after the Estonian Navy said it attempted to detain a Russia-bound oil tanker, while it was navigating in international waters. The vessel, Jaguar, was sanctioned by Britain last Friday, amid accusations it is one of about 100 in Russia's 'shadow fleet' – deployed by the Kremlin to avoid international sanctions (Picture: Russian media) The tanker was near Naissaar Island, off Tallinn, when the Estonian Navy communicated with it by radio at 3.30pm UK time on Tuesday. Estonian authorities deployed an AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter, an M28 Skytruck aircraft, and the EML Raju patrol boat to intercept it. They demanded that Jaguar's crew change course, but they refused to comply. It was then that Russian forces scrambled a Su-35 fighter plane to provide cover for the tanker. (Picture: Royal Navy) Public broadcaster ERR reported on Wednesday that the Russian aircraft's transponders had been switched off and no flight plan had been filed. Estonian Navy commander Ivo Vark said that forces 'had an obligation to verify the vessel's documents and legal status as it was sailing 'without a nationality'. He added: The vessel denied cooperation and continued its journey toward Russia (Picture: Russian media) 'Given the vessel's lack of nationality, the use of force, including boarding the vessel, was deemed unnecessary.' An Estonian patrol then escorted the Jaguar until it eventually reached Russian waters, Vark added (Picture: Russian media) Footage filmed from a bridge of a tanker whose IMO identification number matches that of the Jaguar shows a navy patrol boat, a helicopter and a patrol aircraft hovering nearby. A voice on a radio is heard in the background: 'This is Estonian warship … follow my instructions, alter your course to 105 immediately.' In Russian, a voice says off-camera, is heard saying: 'We are met by helicopters, they demand we go on anchor' (Picture: Russian media) A military jet, which Estonia does not operate, is also glimpsed flying nearby. Margus Tsahkna, Estonian foreign minister, stressed this is a 'very serious and regrettable incident, which is completely unacceptable' (Picture: Global Images Ukraine via Getty) He said on X: 'Yesterday another incident with Russia's shadow fleet in the Gulf of Finland proved that we must act. With the info op that followed Russia has clearly tied itself to the shadow fleet – a threat that must face tougher, faster sanctions' (Picture: Russian media)
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Nato and Russian fighter jets face-off over Baltic Sea
Russian and Nato fighter jets faced off in a confrontation above the Baltic Sea, after Estonia tried to detain a sanctioned oil tanker. Nato member Estonia spotted the sanctioned Jaguar tanker heading towards Russia and dispatched a helicopter and a navy patrol boat to try and stop the ship, which was allegedly sailing under no flag. Nato aircraft, including Polish MiG-29s, were scrambled as the vessel refused to cooperate. In response, Moscow scrambled a Su-35 to protect the sanctioned tanker, and is alleged to have entered Nato airspace while trying to do so. Credit: X/@M_Simonyan The tanker was able to escape and is now anchored near the Russian port of Primorsk. Video footage posted on X shows the confrontation. Filmed from a bridge of a tanker believed to be the Jaguar, the video shows a navy surveillance boat, a helicopter and a patrol aircraft hovering nearby. 'This is Estonian warship... follow my instructions, alter your course to 105 immediately,' says a voice on the radio. In Russian, a voice says off-camera: 'We are met by helicopters, they demand we go on anchor.' Military jets are seen flying around the vessels. The Jaguar tanker is part of Moscow's shadow fleet and was sanctioned by Britain last Friday. But on Tuesday, it was spotted heading towards Russia. The ship was near Naissaar Island, off Tallinn, when the Estonian Navy communicated with it by radio, Commander Ivo Vark told Reuters news agency. As it was sailing 'without a nationality', Estonia 'had an obligation to verify the vessel's documents and legal status', he said on Wednesday. 'The vessel denied cooperation and continued its journey toward Russia... given the vessel's lack of nationality, the use of force, including boarding the vessel, was deemed unnecessary.' An Estonian patrol escorted the Jaguar until it reached Russian waters, he added. Estonia's foreign minister described the situation as 'really serious'. 'The Russian Federation sent a fighter jet to check the situation, and this fighter jet violated Nato territory for close to one minute,' Margus Tsahkna told reporters in the Turkish city of Antalya. 'We need to understand that Russia has officially tried and connected itself to the Russian 'shadow fleet',' he said, speaking ahead of a meeting of Nato foreign ministers. '(The) Russian Federation is ready to protect the 'shadow fleet'... The situation is really serious,' he added. The Jaguar is one of more than 100 ships in Russia's shadow fleet, a term Western countries use for ships they accuse Moscow of deploying to avoid international sanctions, typically unregulated and uninsured by regular Western organisations. On Thursday, the Jaguar was anchored near the Russian port of Primorsk, Marine Traffic data showed. It was listed there under the flag of the central African nation of Gabon. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Nato and Russian fighter jets face-off over Baltic Sea
Russian and Nato fighter jets faced off in a confrontation above the Baltic Sea, after Estonia tried to detain a sanctioned oil tanker. Nato member Estonia spotted the sanctioned Jaguar tanker heading towards Russia and dispatched a helicopter and a navy patrol boat to try and stop the ship, which was allegedly sailing under no flag. Nato aircraft, including Polish MiG-29s, were scrambled as the vessel refused to cooperate. In response, Moscow scrambled a Su-35 to protect the sanctioned tanker, and is alleged to have entered Nato airspace while trying to do so. The tanker was able to escape and is now anchored near the Russian port of Primorsk. Video footage posted on X shows the confrontation. Filmed from a bridge of a tanker believed to be the Jaguar, the video shows a navy surveillance boat, a helicopter and a patrol aircraft hovering nearby. 'This is Estonian warship... follow my instructions, alter your course to 105 immediately,' says a voice on the radio. In Russian, a voice says off-camera: 'We are met by helicopters, they demand we go on anchor.' Military jets are seen flying around the vessels. The Jaguar tanker is part of Moscow's shadow fleet and was sanctioned by Britain last Friday. But on Tuesday, it was spotted heading towards Russia. The ship was near Naissaar Island, off Tallinn, when the Estonian Navy communicated with it by radio, Commander Ivo Vark told Reuters news agency. As it was sailing 'without a nationality', Estonia 'had an obligation to verify the vessel's documents and legal status', he said on Wednesday. 'The vessel denied cooperation and continued its journey toward Russia... given the vessel's lack of nationality, the use of force, including boarding the vessel, was deemed unnecessary.' An Estonian patrol escorted the Jaguar until it reached Russian waters, he added. Estonia's foreign minister described the situation as 'really serious'. 'The Russian Federation sent a fighter jet to check the situation, and this fighter jet violated Nato territory for close to one minute,' Margus Tsahkna told reporters in the Turkish city of Antalya. 'We need to understand that Russia has officially tried and connected itself to the Russian 'shadow fleet',' he said, speaking ahead of a meeting of Nato foreign ministers. '(The) Russian Federation is ready to protect the 'shadow fleet'... The situation is really serious,' he added. The Jaguar is one of more than 100 ships in Russia's shadow fleet, a term Western countries use for ships they accuse Moscow of deploying to avoid international sanctions, typically unregulated and uninsured by regular Western organisations. On Thursday, the Jaguar was anchored near the Russian port of Primorsk, Marine Traffic data showed. It was listed there under the flag of the central African nation of Gabon.
TimesLIVE
15-05-2025
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
Estonian navy 'tried to detain one of Russian shadow fleet' in Baltic Sea
The Estonian Navy said it attempted on Tuesday to detain a Russia-bound oil tanker under sanction by Britain, saying it sailed illegally without a flag — but did not board it when it refused to co-operate, instead escorting it to Russian waters. The vessel, Jaguar, which Britain added to its sanctions list last Friday, is one of about 100 in Russia's 'shadow fleet', a term Western countries use for ships they accuse Moscow of deploying to avoid international sanctions. They are typically not regulated or insured by conventional Western organisations. The ship was near Naissaar Island, off Tallinn, when the Estonian Navy communicated with it by radio at 3.30pm GMT on Tuesday, Commander Ivo Vark told Reuters in an email message. As it was sailing 'without a nationality', Estonia 'had an obligation to verify the vessel's documents and legal status', Vark said on Wednesday. 'The vessel denied co-operation and continued its journey towards Russia ... given the vessel's lack of nationality, the use of force, including boarding the vessel, was deemed unnecessary.'
Free Malaysia Today
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Estonia attempted to detain Russian ‘shadow fleet' tanker in Baltic Sea
Russian 'shadow fleet' vessels are typically not regulated or insured by conventional western organisations. (EPA Images pic) RIGA : The Estonian navy said it attempted on Tuesday to detain a Russia-bound oil tanker under sanction by Britain, saying it sailed illegally without a flag, but did not board it when it refused to cooperate, instead escorting it to Russian waters. The vessel, Jaguar, which Britain added to its sanctions list last Friday, is one of about 100 in Russia's 'shadow fleet', a term western countries use for ships they accuse Moscow of deploying to avoid international sanctions. They are typically not regulated or insured by conventional western organisations. The ship was near Naissaar Island, off Tallinn, when the Estonian navy communicated with it by radio at 3.30pm on Tuesday, commander Ivo Vark told Reuters in an email message. As it was sailing 'without a nationality', Estonia 'had an obligation to verify the vessel's documents and legal status', Vark said yesterday. 'The vessel denied cooperation and continued its journey towards Russia… given the vessel's lack of nationality, the use of force, including boarding the vessel, was deemed unnecessary.' An Estonian patrol escorted the Jaguar until it reached Russian waters, Vark added. On X, Estonia's foreign minister said Russia 'must face tougher, faster sanctions' in response. 'With the info op that followed, Russia has clearly tied itself to the shadow fleet,' Margus Tsahkna posted. The Estonian defence ministry declined to comment. Today, the Jaguar was anchored near the Russian port of Primorsk, Marine Traffic data showed. It was listed there under the flag of the central African nation of Gabon. Vark was responding to a Reuters request for comment on a recording on X purporting to show the boarding attempt, but which could not be independently verified. Filmed from a bridge of a tanker whose IMO identification number matches that of the Jaguar, the video shows a navy patrol boat, a helicopter and a patrol aircraft hovering nearby. 'This is Estonian warship… follow my instructions, alter your course to 105 immediately,' says a voice on the radio. In Russian, a voice says off-camera, 'We are met by helicopters, they demand we go on anchor.' A military jet, which Estonia does not operate, is also glimpsed flying nearby. Vark did not reply to a query if the incident was connected to Tuesday's alleged breach of Estonian airspace by a Russian Su-35 military jet that drew a protest from Estonia. On X, Margarita Simonyan, head of Russia's state media outlet RT, who posted the video, said the jet was a Russian Su-35, sent to prevent the vessel's seizure. In an incident on April 11, Estonia detained and boarded a Russia-bound oil tanker, Kiwala, accusing it of sailing without a valid country flag. The tanker cooperated, and was released two weeks later.
