The war on Russian tankers in the Baltic: just the beginning

The April 11 detention of the sanctioned tanker Kiwala by the Estonian Defense Forces, as it headed to Ust-Luga to load Russian oil, signals the growing resolve of the Baltic states.

It’s worth recalling that on March 21, Germany also took a decisive step by confiscating the Eventin tanker along with its valuable cargo — around 100,000 tons of Russian oil worth €40 million—which became German property. At the time, Berlin emphasized that this “extremely tough approach” was meant to signal to Russia that Germany would not passively tolerate the transit of Russian oil through the Baltic Sea. Now, Estonia has sent a similar signal.

However, the true Rubicon of determination will be crossed when the Baltic states begin detaining tankers bound for Russian ports to load Urals crude before they enter the Danish Straits.

Read also: Estonian Defense Forces detain tanker of Russia's shadow fleet

In 1933, while visiting the Kola Bay and gazing out over the vast Arctic Ocean, Stalin remarked: “What is the Black Sea? A washtub. What is the Baltic? A bottle. And we do not have the cork...” Indeed, the “cork” of that “Baltic bottle” has never been Russian. The neck of the bottle is formed by the Danish Straits — and the cork belongs to the Danes. Today, with Sweden and Finland as NATO members, the Baltic Sea is effectively a NATO and EU domain. Yet, a thick stream of Russian oil and oil products still flows through it. The time has come to consider sealing the neck of this bottle — not with words, but with action — in the name of a clean, green present and future for the Baltic Sea.

As early as February 22, 2023, during a roundtable at Ukrinform—and later at multiple brainstorming sessions and international discussions, including the European Parliament this January—I consistently emphasized: effective sanctions against Russian oil are possible by blocking the entry of tankers in poor technical condition into the Baltic Sea.

Interestingly, Russia would have no legal grounds to object. Following Estonia’s recent detention of the Kiwala tanker, even Russian media appear puzzled, noting that “formally, the vessel has nothing to do with Russia or its companies.” That acknowledgment underscores a key point: NATO and EU-aligned states in the Baltic and North Sea region—including the Danish Navy—have full freedom of action in the Danish Straits.

P.S. Russian Baltic ports currently handle 57% of all Russian oil and oil product exports.

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About the author. Mykhailo Honchar, expert on international energy and security relations

The editorial team does not always share the opinions expressed by the blog authors.