Tusk warns of threat from Russia's shadow fleet to European security
Russia's shadow fleet is not only the financial basis for continuing the war against Ukraine, but also a direct threat to the security of European countries. This was stated by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk during a press conference following the Eastern Flank Summit in Helsinki.
According to Tusk, there are signals that some drones that could be preparing for provocations against Polish oil platforms in the Baltic Sea were launched from the vessels of the so-called shadow fleet of the Russian Federation. He called on European countries to be prepared to take decisive and tough action against such ships.
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Mihal, for his part, called Russian oil tankers a «time bomb» for the environment, which can cause a large-scale environmental disaster at any time.
According to Ukrainian and European authorities, since the beginning of the full-scale war, Russia has formed a shadow fleet of more than 1,240 tankers to circumvent sanctions and sell oil. Over the past five years, Ukraine has arrested 68 such vessels, including three since December 2024. There are also reports of oil dumping in European waters, which creates additional risks for EU countries.
