Russia places “Wagnerists” on ships of the shadow fleet
11.03.2026 - 14:11
Journalists have identified 17 people without maritime qualifications on the ships of the “shadow fleet” sailing in the Gulf of Finland.
12 of them have been found to have ties to the Wagner PMC or the GRU military intelligence, Yle reports with reference to Helsingin Sanomat.
Thus, Russia has begun placing former mercenaries and intelligence officers on the ships of the “shadow fleet” transporting Russian oil.
According to HS, the mercenaries control the crews and prevent the ships from falling into the hands of Western authorities.
Representatives of several Western military and civilian intelligence organizations, including the Finnish Security Police (Supo), have confirmed the presence of “protection groups” on the ships, HS writes.
Supo told the publication that Russian bodyguards placed in the crews can in some cases be used as a link between the “shadow fleet” and the Russian Armed Forces, which have increased their presence in the Baltic Sea.
In the photo – Viktor A, one of the mercenaries identified by the HS publication. It is reported that this particular photo was taken on a ship that does not belong to the “shadow fleet” of the Russian Federation.
Earlier, USM reported that Trump wants to lift certain sanctions related to the oil trade.
