British Defense Minister John Healey discussed measures to combat Russia's 'shadow fleet' with colleagues from EU countries, Bloomberg reports. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
The head of the British armed forces, Richard Knighton, who also participated in the meeting, presented options for action regarding the tankers, including joint operations to seize vessels, a source familiar with the agency's discussions said, wishing to remain anonymous.
Bloomberg suggested that European countries may have "some coordination" with the United States in such operations, as quoted by Meduza.
Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur stated to reporters after the meeting: "Countries that provide flags to shadow fleet vessels should know that there are measures that can be taken by other countries." Any specific measures, he added, require further discussion, as some countries "fear escalation."
The "shadow fleet," Bloomberg reminds, consists of about 1,500 vessels transporting Russian oil. These vessels use flags from various countries and take other measures to circumvent sanctions imposed due to Russia's war with Ukraine. Hundreds of such vessels are listed in the sanctions lists of the EU and the US, and some have been detained, including with the involvement of American military forces.
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