Summary
Russia warned of retaliation if the EU seizes more of its “shadow fleet” oil tankers in the Baltic Sea, calling it an attack on Russian territory.
EU countries like Finland, Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia are exploring legal ways to detain these vessels, which Russia allegedly uses to evade sanctions and fund its war in Ukraine.
Moscow threatened countermeasures, including boarding Western ships.
Ukraine welcomed the initiative, arguing that disrupting Russia’s oil exports would weaken its war finances. The debate follows Finland’s December seizure of a Russian-linked vessel.
I mean, where are they proposing to board said European ships? If it’s within Russian territorial waters, sure, that’s their right. But those ships are also within their rights to not go into Russian territorial waters.