The Swedish Navy has confirmed the presence of armed guards aboard vessels belonging to Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet.” According to broadcaster SVT, the military reports that armed individuals—believed to be from private security companies—have been spotted on these tankers.
In addition, Russia has stepped up its military presence in the Baltic Sea. “Russian naval activity has become more permanent and more noticeable across large parts of the Baltic Sea. The Russian Navy is periodically present in various areas of the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Finland, and it appears to be operating there to some extent in support of this ‘shadow fleet,’” a Swedish Navy spokesperson said.
SVT’s sources within the military also confirmed that Russian naval vessels are present in several specific areas adjacent to key shipping lanes.
The first known case of a Russian warship escorting “shadow fleet” tankers in European waters became public in June. At that time, two tankers and a naval vessel entered the English Channel simultaneously, heading toward Russian ports to load oil. In July, the same vessel—the Boykiy, a Steregushchiy-class corvette—escorted a tanker and a cargo ship through the Baltic Sea into the North Sea, and then through the English Channel into the Atlantic Ocean.
