Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday urged European countries to pass legislation blocking Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” ships from sailing in their waters and to confiscate Russian oil.
Zelensky also thanked Denmark, Sweden and France for recently seizing ships suspected of belonging to the shadow fleet.
Moscow’s shadow fleet consists of vessels used to skirt Western sanctions since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. They are often ageing ships in poor condition, without proper insurance and with opaque ownership.
The French navy seized a third “shadow fleet” tanker in the Mediterranean last week, while in Sweden, authorities seized the Sea Owl I tanker in mid-March and arrested its captain on suspicion of falsifying documents and violating maritime regulations.
Yesterday, the British government announced that its military will now be able to board and seize ships sanctioned as part of the shadow fleet if they enter UK territorial waters. Some 598 ships suspected of being part of the fleet are under European Union sanctions.
