/Agencia Reuters
Estonia released images showing machine guns and sandbags mounted on a Russian-flagged liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker in the Baltic Sea, indicating a more confrontational stance by Moscow to protect its civilian fleet.
Surveillance records show fortified positions with firearms on the roof of the bridge of the Marshal Vasilevskiy, a civilian vessel whose home port is Kaliningrad.
“The presence of armed guards is common on ships transiting high-risk piracy zones, but this is a new and crazy step for civilian vessels in the Baltic,” said Yoruk Isik, a geopolitical analyst who runs the consultancy Bosphorus Observer.
“This is a hostile move by Russia to send a message to European Union and NATO nations that it will actively oppose any attempt to stop or inspect its ships,” Isik told Reuters.
“There is no justification for a self-defense posture like installing a machine gun in the Baltic. This clearly shows that international waters are becoming increasingly chaotic and lawless,” he added.
The Marshal Vasilevskiy, owned by Gazprom Flot LLC, a subsidiary of Gazprom, has transported LNG to Kaliningrad from a port near St. Petersburg on four occasions since the start of 2025 (most recently in May), according to LSEG ship tracking data. This route runs along the coastline of Estonia.
The images “were taken this spring in the Baltic Sea, within Estonia’s area of responsibility,” said a spokesperson for the Estonian Police and Border Guard Service.
“We cannot allow the blocking of our main sea routes. The Baltic and Black Seas concentrate the majority of our maritime trade,” said Nikolai Patrushev, advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin on maritime affairs.
“It is crucial to ensure the timely deployment and combat readiness of the (Russian) fleet, as well as its ability to counter the entire spectrum of threats,” he added.
Nine tankers suspected of belonging to the “shadow fleet,” vessels linked to Russia with opaque ownership sailing under flags of convenience to evade Western sanctions since the start of the war in Ukraine, have been seized across Europe since the beginning of the year, the most recent by France on June 26.
The Marshal Vasilevskiy was sanctioned by the United Kingdom in October 2024, by Canada in February 2025, and by Australia in December 2025. Gazprom Flot, meanwhile, was sanctioned by the European Union in April.
A security official from the Baltic region noted that it was unlikely the vessel would be seized, as it does not fall into the “shadow fleet” category and sails under the Russian flag.
“It’s hard to know what the Russians are thinking.”
Desde que el mar Báltico se convirtió en un lago de la OTAN, los rusos han estado bajo una gran tensión por todo lo que ocurre allí; así que tal vez solo estén pensando de más y reaccionando de manera exagerada”, comentó el funcionario.
En abril, el comandante de la Armada de Estonia, Ivo Vark, declaró a Reuters que Rusia está aumentando su presencia militar en las aguas internacionales situadas entre Estonia y Finlandia, la ruta de acceso a los puertos de los alrededores de San Petersburgo, donde se carga una parte significativa de las exportaciones energéticas de Rusia.
Vark señaló en abril que Estonia había dejado de intentar retener los buques vinculados a Rusia que no representan un peligro inmediato debido a que “el riesgo de una escalada militar es demasiado alto”.
El Marshal Vasilevskiy, que tiene la capacidad de regasificar GNL directamente en un gasoducto, fue inaugurado por Putin en enero de 2019 como una ruta de suministro de respaldo para el enclave militarizado de Kaliningrado, en caso de que se interrumpan las entregas de gas por gasoducto a través de Lituania, país miembro de la OTAN.
