EU vows counter measures against Russian 'shadow fleet'

Brussels [Belgium], December 31: The European Union on Monday warned about Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" and vowed to take stronger action following the suspected sabotage of an underwater power cable off the coast of Finland.
The EU would "take stronger action to counter risks these ships pose," foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told the newspaper Die Welt in an interview published on Monday.
"Russia's 'shadow fleet' threatens the environment and funds Russia's war budget," Kallas said, adding that the vessels are suspected of carrying out acts of sabotage.
The Estlink 2 undersea power cable between c and Finlandwas interrupted on Wednesday in what Finnish authorities suspect may have been an act of sabotage.
Following the disturbance, they detained the Cook Islands-flagged oil tanker Eagle S, the anchor of which is thought to have damaged the cable.
According to the EU, the ship could belong to the so-called Russian "shadow fleet" - tankers and other cargo ships that Russia uses unofficially to circumvent sanctions on oil transport, for example. Kallas, a former prime minister of Estonia, said sabotage in Europe had surged since Russia began its war against Ukraine in February 2022.
"Recent Baltic Sea sabotage attempts are not isolated incidents; they form a deliberate pattern aimed at damaging our digital and energy infrastructure,"Kallas added.
On Saturday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock had already raised alarm about Russia's "shadow fleet" and called for further EU sanctions. Baerbock warned that the "decrepit Russian shadow fleet" poses a serious threat to both the environment and European security.
"Almost every month, ships are currently damaging important undersea cables in the Baltic Sea,"Baerbock said.
Source: Qatar Tribune