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The European Union is preparing legal grounds to stop tankers belonging to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet in the Baltic Sea.

Source: Andrii Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, on Telegram

Quote from Yermak: “Our sanctions proposals from last year may be converted into decisions.”

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Details: According to Article 110 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, at least 16 “flagless” ships may already be detained.

“In the 19th package of sanctions, the EU plans to add another 120 oil tankers from Russia’s shadow fleet, increasing its ‘blacklist’ to 568 vessels. Some of them no longer formally enter EU ports but continue to use the Baltic Sea for shipping,” Yermak said.

“The use of international law and the willingness of NATO countries to ensure its implementation is a key signal to the Kremlin: its attempts to circumvent sanctions are not working,” Yermak stressed.

He added that Russia’s capabilities need to be restricted more quickly. “Moscow is already waging a hybrid war against Europe, and speed is of the essence here,” Yermak said.

Background:

  • The Russian military reconnaissance ship Yantar made a three-month voyage along the coast of Europe in search of critical energy and internet cables. It is equipped with modern surveillance systems for mapping and possible data interception of submarine cables between NATO countries.

  • The Finnish National Prosecutor’s Office has charged the captain of the tanker Eagle S and two crew members in connection with damage to undersea cables in the Gulf of Finland.

  • In August 2025, tankers subject to EU, US and UK sanctions transported 43.6% of Russia’s maritime oil. These figures come from the Monitoring Group of the Black Sea Strategic Studies Institute.

  • The shadow fleet now accounts for about 17% of all active oil tankers in the world. At the beginning of 2025, the fleet had 940 vessels, which is 45% more than a year earlier, according to a study by S&P Global Market Intelligence.

  • The Ne`w York Times writes that Russia has managed to circumvent Western sanctions by creating a shadow fleet of oil tankers. It is estimated that about 17% of all active vessels of this class are used to transport Russian oil.

  • It was also reported that the Russian authorities managed to register an insurance company in Norway that issued forged documents for dozens of ships in the Russian shadow fleet.

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