FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
To curb Russia's so-called "shadow fleet," NATO member Denmark is tightening controls on oil tankers passing through its waters...
Following repeated drone incidents and the Danish intelligence agency's assessment that Russia is currently waging a hybrid war against Denmark and the West, Copenhagen has taken further measures. And these do not only affect airspace. According to the Kyiv Post, the NATO member is tightening controls on oil tankers transiting its waters, which may belong to Vladimir Putin's "shadow fleet."
With the decision, Copenhagen responded to intelligence reports cited by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on September 28 that Russia's "shadow fleet" of oil tankers was being used to "launch and control drones" over European cities. The Danish government said on Monday that the new measures would focus on older ships often used by the "shadow fleet" that pose an environmental and safety risk due to poor maintenance.
The term "shadow fleet" refers to the often outdated ships sailing under a foreign flag that Russia uses, among other things, to circumvent the oil embargo. Following the drone incidents in Denmark, the Russian shadow fleet has once again come under NATO's sights. Last week, the French Navy detained an oil tanker off the west coast of France, which, according to French President Emmanuel Macron, "had been reported under a false flag and had already been inspected by Estonia in March for the same reason."
He did not comment on speculation that the ship may have also served as a launch pad for the recent drone attacks on Denmark. According to Macron, the chiefs of staff of Ukraine's backers from the so-called Coalition of the Willing will meet in the coming days to coordinate their approach against the shadowy Russian fleet. "We have decided to go a step further and block suspicious ships," the French president said on October 2. Denmark is now taking this step.
Danish Minister of Industry and Trade Morten Bodskov said the initiative was part of a broader effort to put an end to Russian President Vladimir Putin's military machine, according to the Kyiv Post. Putin, reacting to the detention of the Russian tanker in France, said "this is piracy." He added that he was aware that France was detaining a tanker suspected of belonging to the Russian shadow fleet.
"Now they are looking for military equipment, drones, something else. There is nothing there," Putin said in response to the accusation that the tanker was used in the drone attacks in Copenhagen. He denied that Moscow was behind the drone flights. He compared the fear of Russian drones to the UFO phobia of long ago. The seized oil tanker has reportedly continued its journey.
The shadow fleet, incidentally, existed even before the outbreak of war in Ukraine in 2022. Russia uses such ships to circumvent international sanctions, for example, those imposed by states such as Venezuela, Iran or North Korea. But since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent Western sanctions against Russia, the global shadow fleet has grown significantly, according to the American think-tank, the Atlantic Council. It estimates that approximately 17% of all oil tankers worldwide belong to the global shadow fleet, which also includes other commercial vessels.
The EU has now identified 444 ships and placed them on a blacklist. The UK, for its part, counts around 500 ships as part of the Russian shadow fleet. The Kiev School of Economics (KSE) warns of a “major environmental risk” posed by these aging ships. According to the Atlantic Council, by 2024, approximately 11% of the world’s oil tankers will be more than 20 years old. Before the war in Ukraine, only 3% of ships were that old.
In light of the threat posed by Russia's shadowy fleet and recent drone attacks, top European politicians backed a faster and more effective military buildup at a summit in Denmark on October 2. Europeans should be "fully capable of defending themselves by 2030," Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in Copenhagen on Thursday.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned Russia not to “underestimate Europe’s resolve.” At the European Political Community (EPG) summit in Copenhagen, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also called for “rapid and effective response and defense forces” for Southern and Western Europe. Ultimately, he said, Moscow is prepared to “escalate the war.” /Adapted from Fr.de/
Lini një Përgjigje