CNN
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Until last week, the secret fleet of Russian oil ferry ships around the world showed no clear ties to the Kremlin. That changed in a dramatic escalation when Russia used fighters in apparent efforts to protect one of the tankers believed to be in the fleet.
The Estonian Defense Forces said that Russian SU-35 fighters had passed the ship within Estonian airspace as they tried to execute a check after the Estonian army contacted Jaguar, a volatile tanker approved by the UK earlier this month. The army eventually escorted tankers from the Estonian seas.
“This is very new,” Estonian Foreign Minister Margas Tsekna told reporters at a NATO meeting in Türkiye on Thursday. Russia is now “officially tied together and united itself” with the so-called Shadow Fleet, he added.
Others agree. “This seems to be a step-change in the Kremlin’s thinking,” Ed Arnold, a senior researcher at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a UK-based think tank, told CNN.
The “Shadow Fleet” estimated to be hundreds of ships that have no official connections with Russia include many old and unmaintained ships. Russia denies any role in damages.
Tankers have opaque ownership structures by many, and transport Russian oil for export to avoid Western sanctions. As such, they became the focus of further sanctions against Moscow.
Russia is the first to use “military action” in response to economic sanctions. “It is evidence of the level of threat we face on the eastern side of NATO,” French Foreign Minister Jeannoel Barro told journalists at a conference in Turkey.
The video, taken from the Jaguar Bridge, which appears to have been edited, shows a radio call from Estonian authorities requesting a change course in Estonia, where Estonian military ships and aircraft are visible around the tankers. CNN supports the footage details and was shared online by Margarita Simoneyan, editor-in-chief of Russian state-run media outlet RT.
Later in the video, Russian only SU-35 fighter jet sweeps in front of the tanker, previously named Argent, according to the cargo record and the British government. In response, the Portuguese F-16 jet on the NATO mission in Estonia was rushed to the area to monitor Russian aircraft, NATO said.
The Jets are part of the strengthened NATO presence in Northern Europe since the full-scale invasion of Russia’s Ukraine in 2022.
“Maybe what the Kremlin is trying to do is push it back, so hopefully the NATO countries will be surprised by what happened (last Tuesday),” Arnold said on Rusi.
“There are probably some people in NATO who are a little worried about this.
For Estonians, the invasion of Russian jets into Estonian space is evidence of Western sanctions being bitten.
The incident “executively demonstrates that surveillance and approval of the Shadow Fleet is effective and such efforts must be further strengthened,” the Estonian Defence Force said in a statement.
CNN was unable to find a registered owner for Jaguar due to comments. The Russian Ministry of Defense has refused to respond to CNN’s request for comment. The Kremlin had previously refused to respond to accusations that it was using the “Shadow Fleet.”
Following repeated incidents in January when the ship damaged the undersea infrastructure of the Baltic Sea, NATO launched the “Baltic Sentry” initiative, strengthening its military presence in the waters.
“We believe the incident (Tuesday) is a reaction to the Baltic Sea Athletic sent,” NATO spokesman Colonel Martin O’Donnell told CNN. “Russian unstable actions will not prevent us from acting within the scope of international law to maintain maritime safety, security and freedom of navigation.”
German Prime Minister Friedrich Merz said on Friday that a new sanctions package could be adopted after Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to participate in Russia’s talks with Ukraine last week in Turkey. Meltz previously said that the Russian “shadow fleet” – “permanently operated in the Baltic Sea with up to 300 ships” would be specifically targeted in this package.
Amid a possible move by Tatttat, the Green Award, a Greek-owned oil tanker, was detained by Russia on Sunday for transporting Russian waters on routes agreed by Estonia, Finland and Russia.
CNN contacted the ship’s owner and the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comments. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not responded.
Estonian authorities have implemented more than 450 checks in Tallinn-controlled waters since June last year, according to the country’s Ministry of Transport. This includes the Gulf of Finland, one of the main conduits of Russia’s overseas trade.
