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Reuters
18-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Estonian PM vows to keep up checks on Russia's 'shadow fleet'
TALLINN, May 18 (Reuters) - Estonia will keep checking Russian "shadow fleet" vessels, Prime Minister Kristen Michal told Reuters on Sunday, days after Russia deployed a SU-35 fighter jet as Estonia attempted to alter the course of one such ship. Estonia said the jet briefly breached NATO airspace during the Baltic country's attempt to inspect a Russian-bound oil tanker, thought to be part of a so-called shadow fleet defying Western sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. Last week's incident "doesn't change a thing", with Estonia determined to continue checking suspicious tankers, Michal said. "I would say that everybody - Estonians, Finns - will be monitoring these kind of ships, and if there's something suspicious we will ask about it. Everybody will do that," Michal said in an interview. Michal said the Estonian Navy had no plans to board the suspect tanker, which then sailed into Russian waters, escorted by the Su-35 and an Estonian patrol boat. Estonia detained another shadow fleet tanker, Kiwala, in April. Russia receives an estimated 60% of its oil revenues via shipments by the "shadow fleet" to buyers in countries such as China and India, according to Estonian estimates. The vessels, which frequently have opaque ownership structures and sail without top-tier Western insurance and safety certification, are often loaded in Russian Baltic Sea ports, approached via the waters between Estonia and Finland. "It's understandable why Russia is getting a little bit nervous," said Michal, saying Russian oil imports should be further limited. "The questions for us - not Estonia, but for Europe and for the United States - is how come Russia is waging the war for the fourth year, and is still selling products on the world market?," he said. Russia views sanctions as an attempt to crush its economy, and has said its ships must have free passage in the Baltic. Estonia, one of the most outspoken critics of Russia in NATO and the European Union, was annexed in the 1940s by the Soviet Union, which agreed with Nazi Germany to carve up the region. For Michal, the only way for Europe to hope for a lasting peace with Russia is to have a strong military. Estonia has pledged at least 5% of GDP for defence to build up its forces, and hopes the larger NATO members will follow suit at a summit in The Hague next month. "Nobody loves governments who raise taxes for defence, but ... you have to do that", Michal said, adding that he hoped U.S. President Donald Trump would raise the threat of new sanctions during a planned call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday. "I hope that he will continue this line, that the pressure is mounting," he said.
CNA
15-05-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Estonia says Russia sent jet after attempt to stop sanction-breaking ship
TALLINN: Estonia said on Thursday (May 15) that Moscow had briefly sent a fighter jet into NATO airspace over the Baltic Sea during an attempt to stop a Russian-bound oil tanker thought to be part of a "shadow fleet" defying Western sanctions on Moscow. Russia, which views sanctions as a malign attempt to crush its economy, says its ships have free passage in the Baltic, any attempt to stop them is dangerous and it is ready to respond. NATO alliance member Estonia's military said the unflagged Jaguar ship, which went onto a UK sanctions list last week, was sailing in international waters between Estonia and Finland and refused to cooperate when asked to stop. It was eventually escorted to Russian waters. "The Russian Federation sent a fighter jet to check the situation, and this fighter jet violated NATO territory for close to one minute," Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told reporters in Türkiye. "(The) Russian Federation is ready to protect the 'shadow fleet' ... The situation is really serious." Western nations say Moscow is using hundreds of ageing oil tankers to dodge a plethora of sanctions intended to punish Russia for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Moscow still sends millions of barrels of oil and fuel every day to buyers in China and India. Its vessels often have opaque ownership structures and sail without top-tier Western insurance and safety certification. A Russian SU-35 fighter jet approached the tanker and circled it, flying in international airspace except when it violated Estonian airspace briefly on approach, said a spokesperson for Estonia's defence forces. Margarita Simonyan, head of Russia's state media outlet RT, said the jet was sent to prevent the vessel's seizure. Finland accused Russian ships of behaving recklessly in the area while Lithuania expressed fears of conflict. "Russia is clearly demonstrating that it is ready to protect the route for its oil. We need to act carefully and rationally, so that escalation does not turn into a military clash," said Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas. "FOLLOW MY INSTRUCTIONS" Estonia said NATO military aircraft had also taken off to inspect the Gabon-listed Jaguar. Estonian Naval Commander Ivo Vark told Reuters the Jaguar was near Naissaar Island off the Estonian capital Tallinn when it was contacted by radio on Tuesday afternoon to check its status because it was sailing "without a nationality." When it declined and continued towards Russian waters, the navy opted to escort it there with a patrol ship. On Thursday, the Jaguar was anchored near the Russian port of Primorsk, Marine Traffic data showed. Footage on X shared by Simonyan and purporting to be filmed from the bridge of the tanker shows an Estonian navy patrol ship, helicopter and aircraft nearby. An identification number seen in the video matches the Jaguar. "This is Estonian warship ... follow my instructions, alter your course to 105 immediately," a voice in English sounds over a radio. "We are met by helicopters, they demand we go on anchor," says another voice in Russian off-camera. Someone else, in Hindi, adds: "The plane is on top of us. It's either an aircraft or a drone. The military ship is turning towards the stern of the vessel." A military jet, which Estonia does not operate, is also glimpsed nearby. The Jaguar, previously named the Argent, had earlier this year loaded oil at the Russian port of Ust-Luga, sailed to India and returned to Primorsk, LSEG tracking data showed. Its owner, listed on ship databases as Mauritius-based Sapang Shipping, could not be located for comment. Authorities in Gabon did not immediately comment on Estonia's assertion that the ship is on their registry. Kremlin aide Nikolai Patrushev told the Kommersant newspaper last month that Russia's navy was ready to protect ships. "Hotheads in London or Brussels need to understand this clearly," he said, adding that Western efforts to block Russian ships were beginning to resemble a "naval blockade".
