Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky accuses Russia of using its shadow fleet of tankers to launch and control drones against Denmark and other European countries, which has meant an escalation of the hybrid warfare.
In a speech yesterday, Zelensky said that Ukrainian intelligence has indications that Russia’s network of aging oil tankers – which are already bypassing Western sanctions – is now not only used to transport fossil fuels, but also functions as platforms for drones over European waters, writes Splash.
“This is yet another proof that the Baltic Sea and other seas should be closed to Russian tankers, at least to the shadow fleet,” he said.
“It is particularly important – the sanctions must hit Russia’s energy trade and the entire infrastructure of the Russian tanker fleet hard,” he added, calling for a tough response from Europe’s capitals and naval forces.
Zelensky’s statements come against a background of increasing drone violations of NATO’s airspace, where unidentified drones in the past week put Denmark on the other end, just as drones have been observed over Poland, Romania and the Baltic Sea region.
The accusations point to Russia possibly combining its maritime shadow operations with aerial warfare – thereby transforming tankers into floating drone bases.
Ships with Russian connections have also been accused of damaging subsea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea in the last couple of years.
-emte
