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’m still trying to figure out the endgame of this cable-cutting.
Everything that results from it seems to be benefical for the west/EU/NATO and nothing of interest for russia.
Russians aren’t smart but they are cruel. The entire point is to frustrate and harass while playing innocent. “It’s not an official Russian ship. It’s merchant vessels making lots of independent mistakes.”
They aren’t smart and don’t like being outsmarted by moves like… checks notes stopping all Russian merchant vessels to stop random independent incidents.
It’s all a show and Russian needs to be stopped by any means necessary. They use politeness as a weapon, hiding behind decorum with weak lies. Fuck them and grind their economy back into dust. Let east Asia conquer them again and help Russia become useful once more.
I don’t think it goes much deeper than “it hurts them more than it hurts us”.
FUD
Possible but then they are making a really bad job doing it.
Yeah I’m not really that worried and I’m from a coastal city by the Baltic.
Ohnoo some internet sites were a bit slower for two hours in the middle of the night noooo…
That must have been soo frightening! :-)