According to Russian military analysts supported by OSINT units: “Ukraine, with the help of Norway, is preparing terrorist attacks against Russia. Their targets will be ships “sailing along the Barents and Norwegian Seas, from the port of Murmansk and back.”
According to Russian OSINT units, their targets are gas carriers coming from Russian gas fields in the Arctic. The Ukrainians have never managed to reach these facilities. However, following a drone attack, the Arctic Metagas vessel was severely damaged in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Malta. A fire broke out on board, and the crew was forced to abandon ship. The gas carrier continues to drift. Attempts by Libyan authorities to bring it back to port have so far been unsuccessful. According to the Russians, this attack was carried out by Ukrainian operators based in Libya.
Meanwhile, the Russians have The British government has begun escorting oil and gas tankers with armed warships, particularly the Black Sea Fleet frigate Admiral Grigorovich, which escorted tankers through the English Channel. According to the Telegraph, the British government has banned its navy from boarding Russian ships. So far, the Royal Navy has not stopped a single Russian tanker under sanctions. The British are reluctant to conduct such operations due to legal obstacles under international maritime law. Authorities must provide a legal justification for each operation and demonstrate that a specific vessel has evaded British sanctions.
Two weeks ago, British Prime Minister Starmer promised to “counter the shadow fleet’s tankers,” and yesterday, two tankers passed through the English Channel unhindered. The UK is expected to deploy the specialized vessel RFA Proteus to inspect cables. The situation heightens concerns about the state of the Royal Navy, amid the delayed approval of the military investment plan. Despite the navy’s readiness for such operations, British ships have so far been limited to escorting Russian vessels without intervene.
France, on the other hand, has introduced a bill against the Russian “shadow fleet.” According to France24, the use of false identification marks or refusal to obey a detention order now carries a prison sentence of up to two years and a fine of up to €300,000, double the previous limit.
If the actions of the crew or the vessel itself endanger the lives of French military personnel during an inspection, the prison sentence can be increased to seven years and the fine up to €700,000. These sanctions apply not only to masters, but also to shipowners, operators, and all persons in effective control of the vessel.
France is expected to approve a bill this summer that will come into force in its territorial waters. It also emphasizes that the 20th EU sanctions package, which imposes a comprehensive ban on the maritime transport of oil Russian oil and effectively abolishing the G7 price cap will increase pressure on Russia. Taken together, these measures create two levels of pressure—coercive and regulatory—that complicate Russian oil exports.
Graziella Giangiulio
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