Russia may deploy warships to escort shadow fleet, Kremlin aide says
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Russia is considering escorting its shadow fleet vessels with naval warships, a senior Kremlin aide said March 19, amid increased Western scrutiny of Moscow's clandestine network of ships used to bypass sanctions.
Nikolai Patrushev made the remarks in an interview with Russian state media, alleging that Russian maritime activity faces increasing threats. He made a similar comment last month, when he also raised the possibility of using naval escorts for Russian-linked vessels.
"An unprecedented campaign has truly been launched against the fleet transporting cargo from Russian ports... Some countries have simply gotten carried away in their hunt for tankers, bulk carriers, and container ships," Patrushev said.
He pointed to what he described as a recent attack on a Russian liquefied natural gas tanker.
"The attack on the Russian LNG tanker Arctic Metagas in the Mediterranean Sea was a truly outrageous incident, which we consider an act of international terrorism," he said.
Patrushev claimed that "the risk of terrorist and sabotage threats against vessels bound for Russian ports remains high," adding that authorities "have developed and are implementing a comprehensive set of measures to ensure navigation security."
Those measures, he said, could include additional onboard protections and potential military involvement.
"The possibility of requesting mobile fire teams to escort Russian-flagged vessels through port captains is being explored. The deployment of special protective equipment on board vessels is also currently being considered. Measures are being considered for escorting merchant fleets by naval ships," Patrushev said.
His comments come as European governments step up enforcement against Russia's shadow fleet — a network of aging tankers that Western officials say operate under opaque ownership structures or false flags to circumvent sanctions on Russian oil exports.
In recent months, countries including France, Germany, and Italy have taken action against Russian-linked vessels in their territorial waters. Most recently, Sweden detained a suspected shadow fleet vessel in the Baltic Sea on March 13.
Western officials have also raised concerns that the fleet could be linked to broader Russian hybrid activities in Europe, including espionage and drone operations.
