Russia has assembled a fleet of hundreds of vessels to covertly ship its oil. With so many ships at sea, the idea of using some to cause havoc may be proving irresistible to the Kremlin.

Following damage to an underwater power cable off Finland, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has raised alarm about the so-called Russian shadow fleet and called for further EU sanctions. "Almost every month,

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has raised concerns about Russia’s so-called "shadow fleet" following recent damage to undersea cables across Europe. "Almost every month, ships are currently damaging important undersea cables in the Baltic Sea,

The Finnish authorities said the tanker might be part of Russia’s shadow fleet, which emerged as a way to circumvent Western-imposed price caps on Russian oil transported by sea. The caps were introduced several months after President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The European Union should impose additional sanctions against the Russian shadow fleet. This issue is particularly relevant after the damage to an underwater electric cable near Finland, states German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.

Multiple recent incidents involving undersea cables in the Baltic Sea were unlikely to be a coincidence, Annalena Baerbock said. She called for tougher sanctions on Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" of ships.