The EU has included the fight against the Russian shadow fleet among the tasks of the Irini mission in the Mediterranean Sea

The EU intends to expand its naval mission in the Mediterranean to counter Russia’s “shadow fleet”.

The EUNavfor Med Irini mission will be extended until March 31, 2029, Euronews writes, citing a draft of the EU Council.

EU ambassadors approved the mission’s mandate on Wednesday, September 30. Formal approval is expected at a meeting of economy and finance ministers on October 9, after which it will be officially published.

EUNavfor Med Irini was created in 2020 to enforce the UN arms embargo on Libya. It was due to end in March 2027, but the European Commission plans to extend it for another two years with a budget of €16.88 million, while significantly expanding its scope.

In June, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaia Kallas, announced that the operation had changed its rules of engagement and had begun inspecting vessels suspected of belonging to the Russian shadow fleet.

The revised mandate clearly identifies the restriction of the Russian shadow fleet as one of the operation’s tasks. The text also places greater emphasis on assessing the maritime situation, including the identification and monitoring of illegal activities and threats to the EU’s security and economic interests.

As previously reported by USM, in early September, EU forces, as part of Operation EUNavfor Med Irini, boarded the tanker MV SUN, which is linked to the Russian shadow fleet.