Russia’s goals are clear: Cut off Ukraine from Black sea, seize Odesa, expand influence to Moldova, – Herbst
Estonian Navy seizes Russian 'shadow fleet' tanker
On the morning of April 11, Estonia detained the oil tanker Kiwala—a vessel from Russia’s 'shadow fleet' involved in exporting Russian crude oil and petroleum products to third countries
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Commander of the Estonian Navy, Commodore Ivo Värk, reported the information, as quoted by ERR.
According to the Estonian commander, the detention is not related to any suspected threat to critical infrastructure.
Estonia began preparing for the operation on Thursday evening, and the operation itself started at 3:00 a.m. A helicopter was involved in the operation.
At 4:19 a.m., the tanker Kiwala entered Estonian waters. According to MarineTraffic data, the vessel is currently located east of Aegna Island, with two military ships nearby.
The vessel was under sanctions due to previous activity in the European Union and was en route to Russia’s Ust-Luga.
There are 24 people on board. According to Estonian authorities, the ship’s captain is a Chinese citizen and is cooperating with the investigation.
According to the Ukrainian portal WarSanctions, the ship's owners and managers were regularly changed to avoid direct ties with Russia and to conceal the real beneficiaries.
Recently, the vessel had been sailing under the flag of Djibouti.
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