Estonia says it will not detain shadow fleet tankers, citing escalation risk

Estonia's navy commander Ivo Vark said the country will not detain Russian shadow fleet vessels in the Baltic because the risk of military escalation is too high, Baird Maritime reports, citing Reuters. He pointed to a failed boarding attempt in May 2025, when Russia sent a fighter jet into NATO airspace and the tanker was escorted into Russian waters. Russia now keeps two or three armed vessels on patrol in the Gulf of Finland, he said. Estonia would act only if infrastructure or the environment faced imminent danger; Vark noted the Atlantic and North Sea carry far less military risk.

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