EU's plan to seize Russia’s shadow tankers: Global fight for environmental security – Lakiichuk

He shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

"The Baltic Sea is very similar to the Black Sea region, and its ecology is very vulnerable. Right now, over 50% of Russian tanker traffic comes from the Gulf of Finland and passes through the Baltic Sea on dilapidated tankers of the 'shadow fleet' that Russia acquired. These tankers should have been sold to India or China for scrap, but instead, they were sold to Russia, knowing that Russia would not repurpose these vessels, and that eventually, there would be a serious ecological threat to the Baltic countries," Lakiichuk remarked.  

According to him, Europeans have initiated an interesting operation called "Baltic Sentry," which involves NATO warships patrolling the Baltic Sea, as well as an aerial and ground surveillance system.  

"But Europeans have much more powerful mechanisms — these are the Danish Straits. The Baltic Sea is limited by the Danish Straits. The agreement on the Danish Straits has been in place for 300 years, but now the situation has radically changed, and Russian 'shadow fleet' tankers are just part of this issue. It would clearly be right for the Baltic countries to introduce stricter passage regimes for the Danish Straits. This way, vessels that do not meet environmental standards would not be able to enter or exit the Baltic Sea. And such a solution is entirely feasible," Lakiichuk believes.

The head of security programs at the Center for Global Studies "Strategy XXI" also added that European partners will focus on controlling the Danish Straits.  

"Because this is not just a war with Russian saboteurs — it's a global fight for global ecological security," Lakiichuk emphasized.

• The Antigua and Barbadua flagged Koala tanker, carrying 130,000 tons of fuel oil, began sinking after three explosions in the engine room while in Russia's Ust-Luga port, Leningrad region.