Polish Foreign Minister: EU is preparing sanctions against captains of the Russian “shadow fleet”
7.02.2025 - 11:32
Brussels is looking for legal mechanisms to punish ships that violate the law, which threaten critical underwater infrastructure.
The EU is considering the possibility of imposing sanctions against captains of Russian ships that are part of the “shadow fleet” and participate in suspicious maneuvers near critical infrastructure facilities. This was stated by Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, “Ukrinform”writes.
“We asked the EU to start applying sanctions against captains of ships of the “shadow fleet”, whose names are known. If they cause damage and cannot explain their actions, they should be included in the list of individual sanctions. This will be an effective means of deterrence,” the diplomat stressed.
According to him, the current UN Convention on the Law of the Sea does not provide for the detention of ships even in the event of their malicious actions in international waters. Because of this, the EU is looking for legal mechanisms that would allow punishing violators and limiting their opportunities to circumvent sanctions.
According to Sikorsky, over the past 18 months, ships of the Russian “shadow fleet” have been involved in strange incidents in the Baltic Sea. In particular, they “suddenly” dropped anchors, which led to the rupture of energy and communication cables.
“The captains of these ships, like their owners, are often registered offshore, have questionable or no insurance, and use the UN Convention as a cover for their actions. After all, under international law, dropping anchor in the high seas is not a crime,” the Polish minister noted.
The Baltic and Northern European countries have already expressed concern that Russia may be preparing large-scale sabotage using both commercial and military vessels. For example, the Russians may be mapping underwater infrastructure, which potentially poses a threat to communications and energy supplies in the region.
According to the Kyiv School of Economics, the Russian “shadow fleet” includes more than 650 ships. As USM reported the day before, the Russian Federation has purchased a third of the tankers for the “shadow fleet” from the US and the EU – after 2022.
