Russian jet's airspace breach sparks NATO tension in Baltics
The Estonian navy intercepted a tanker from the so-called "shadow fleet" on Thursday, prompting a Russian Su-35 to enter NATO airspace in its defense. According to General Vahur Karus of the Estonian army, this is the first instance where the Russian air force has actively protected such a unit.
The Russian Su-35 provided cover for the tanker for about 2.5 hours, briefly violating Estonian and NATO airspace for around one minute. In response, Portuguese F-16 fighters stationed at Amari base, part of the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission, conducted a reconnaissance flight.
General Vahur Karus, Chief of the General Staff of the Estonian Armed Forces, noted that this incident marked the first time the Russian air force had assumed an "active protective position" toward such a unit.
Estonia's reaction to the incident
The Estonian navy, with support from a reconnaissance-patrol aircraft and a helicopter, escorted the tanker Jaguar as it headed to Primorsk in the Leningrad region.
The ship declared Gabon as its flag state, but Gabonese authorities stated they revoked this status on May 10 due to United Kingdom-imposed sanctions.
As the ship entered Estonia's exclusive economic zone, the navy sought to determine its status. Despite receiving no response, Estonian services did not plan to board. Instead, they decided to guide the ship into Russian waters to prevent threats to underwater infrastructure, such as the EstLink 1 power cable.
Diplomatic consequences
In response to the airspace violation by the Russian aircraft, the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Russian chargé d'affaires in Tallinn and presented a diplomatic note.
The violation of airspace by the Russian fighter jet to protect a shadow fleet tanker exemplifies the serious threat Russia poses to NATO as a whole, declared Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna.
The challenging fight against dangerous tankers
As reported on money.pl, Estonia has recently experienced several instances of disruptions to underwater power cables connecting it to other countries, including Finland. In light of this, Estonia has approached NATO to deploy a "deterrence fleet" in the Baltic Sea and has bolstered preventive measures against the so-called shadow fleet. Since June 2024, Estonia has checked the documents of approximately 458 ships and inspected seven ships at anchorages, leading to the detection of further falsifications and irregularities.
In April, Estonian authorities detained the ship Kiwala, which was en route to the Russian port of Ust-Luga and found to be sanctioned by Canada, the European Union, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The ship's captain was reportedly a Chinese national, while most of the 24-member crew hailed from China and Mauritania.
The European Commission has devised tools to monitor ships passing through its territory, targeting ship insurance and certification. Without a seaworthiness certificate, a ship cannot purchase insurance or gain permission to enter ports. According to maritime law, lacking this insurance automatically precludes transport. However, these controls are feasible in ports and remain a significant challenge at sea.
