"After the effective intervention of our military, the ship sailed to one of the Russian ports," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on X.
The detention followed recent moves by Estonia and its neighbors to clamp down on Russia's so-called "shadow fleet," which is used to bypass Western oil sanctions.
"New measures also address hybrid threats and human rights. More sanctions on Russia are in the works," Kaja Kallas said on X.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Germany and its allies are responding to hybrid threats in the Baltic region with increased patrols and renewed pressure on Russia's covert shipping operations.
"The Russian Federation is ready to protect the 'shadow fleet'... the situation is really serious," Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said on May 15.
The sanctioned oil tankers have transported over $24 billion in cargo since 2024, according to Downing Street. The U.K. has now sanctioned more shadow fleet vessels than any other country.
The European Commission is preparing its 17th sanctions package against Russia, adding more individuals and over 100 vessels associated with Russia's shadow fleet to the sanctions list.
Investigators said the vessel had loaded around 5,000 tons of stolen Ukrainian wheat from the Russian-occupied port city of Sevastopol in late 2024 and attempted to disguise its operations by sailing under the flag of an Asian country.
Ukrainian intelligence has identified the captain of the oil embargo-breaking tanker FACCA, a part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” of oil tankers.
The sanctions lists include 71 people and 18 propaganda outlets spreading Russian propaganda. Fifty-nine more people are on the list targeting the so-called shadow fleet, including two Chinese captains.
The vessel's captain is a Chinese citizen, and the rest of the crew are nationals of Myanmar.
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a new sanctions package targeting Russia’s “shadow fleet” during his nightly address on April 10.
Key developments on April 10: * US ambassador to Ukraine to resign, State Department tells Kyiv Independent * 'Before I got there, I had never held a weapon' — Ukraine shows interrogation of Chinese POWs * Ukraine won't accept any limits on its army in talks with Russia, official says * Russia frees woman jailed
The proposed law would authorize U.S. authorities to confiscate oil cargoes transported by vessels blacklisted by the Treasury Department. Proceeds from the sale of the seized oil would be directed toward reducing the U.S. national debt.
The shadow fleet refers to aging and largely uninsured oil tankers that Russia uses to transport oil above the $60 per barrel price cap.
The United States vetoed a Group of Seven (G7) proposal to establish a joint task force that would tackle sanctions evasion related to Russia's 'shadow fleet,' Bloomberg reported on March 8.
In January, the Swedish Navy found an anchor at the site of the sabotaged cables in the Baltic Sea. Finnish authorities suspect the Eagle S intentionally dragged its anchor along dozens of kilometers of the Baltic seabed, according to AFP.
The U.K. is imposing its largest-ever package of sanctions against Russia, targeting its "shadow fleet" of tankers and foreign-based companies providing military parts to Russia, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Feb. 24.
The new measures, announced on the third anniversary of the all-out war, target Russia's "shadow fleet" of oil tankers, banks, aluminum imports, and other sectors.
EU ambassadors agreed on a new package of sanctions against Russia, targeting aluminum imports and the "shadow fleet" of oil tankers, Euronews reported on Feb. 19.
Two explosions took place on the oil tanker Seajewel, moored in the Italian city of Savona on Feb. 18, with the vessel allegedly transporting Russian oil to Europe, Italian publication IVG reported.
Editor's note: This article is an on-site version of KI Insights' public newsletter, The Week Ahead, covering events from May 19-25. Sign up here to start your week with an agenda of Ukraine-related events delivered directly to your inbox every Sunday. The week ahead features key diplomatic engagements following inconclusive
Russia has resorted to a "shadow fleet" to transport its oil and gas to get around Western sanctions and price caps. The Kyiv Independent spoke with Elisabeth Braw, a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council's Transatlantic Security Initiative, to find out what options the West has and how dangerous the shadow fleet actually is.
According to Politico, European countries are drafting new legislation that would enable potential seizures of Russian oil tankers on legal grounds.
The tanker, built in 2023 and sailing under the Antigua and Barbuda flag, had arrived at Ust-Luga on Feb. 6, according to ship-tracking data from Vesselfinder. Russia’s Baza Telegram channel reported that the vessel was carrying 130,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil.
The damage comes amid a series of recent disruptions to undersea telecom and power cables in the Baltic Sea. Western experts and officials have accused Russia of engaging in hybrid warfare against countries supporting Ukraine.
The number of sanctioned vessels has now reached 265, with U.S. blacklisting proving to be the most disruptive. Of the 435 ships that transported Russian crude in 2024, 112—or 26%—are now under Washington’s sanctions.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has approved sanctions against 57 captains of Russia’s "shadow fleet," a group of tankers routinely used to evade sanctions targeting Russia's oil trade, and 55 individuals involved in looting Ukraine’s cultural heritage in occupied Crimea.
On the night of Dec. 15, 2024, two Russian oil tankers, Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239, sank in the Kerch Strait, a narrow maritime connection between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, off the coast of occupied Crimea. Both vessels were constructed for service on rivers, not on the open
The vessel, which operates under the Norwegian flag and travels between St. Petersburg and Murmansk, was seized in Tromso at Latvia's request following a local court order.
Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, concerns over the security of energy and communication infrastructure in the Baltic Sea intensified. Initially, focus was placed on the threat of hybrid attacks from Russia. However, it became evident that Russian military vessels and so-called "research" ships were actively mapping the
The removal of these flags disrupts Russia's oil export logistics, forcing tankers to re-register in less reputable jurisdictions and change ownership to avoid detection.
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