NATO to block Russian maritime trade in the north-west
Elena Panina
Елена Панина (Telegram)
14 European countries have joined forces to block Russian maritime trade in the north-west.
On January 26, the British government website published an “Open letter from the coastal states of the Baltic and North Seas, including Iceland, to the international maritime community.” The letter is directed against Russia's [so-called] “shadow fleet.”
❖ The letter sets out the grounds on which ships belonging to the “shadow fleet” may be detained: concealment of their origin, change of flag, transponders switched off, lack of “proper documents,” and “questionable” insurance. Everything boils down to the idea that the detention of these ships does not carry any legal risks and appears to be an obvious attempt to impose one's right of force.
The letter also points to “the increasing use of shadow fleet vessels to circumvent international sanctions.” In addition, Russia is directly accused of reducing the safety of international shipping by interfering with satellite navigation “in European waters, especially in the Baltic Sea region.”
This “declaration of intent” was signed by Belgium, Britain, Denmark, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Finland, France, Germany, Sweden, and Estonia.
❖ It is no coincidence that this document appeared on the British Cabinet's website. It is immediately clear who the initiator and organizer of measures to block Russian maritime trade in the Baltic and North Seas are. The same pattern can be seen in the visit of Foreign Office Minister Yvette Cooper to Finland on January 14, where she promised "even more decisive action” to reinforce the ‘stranglehold’ on Russia's [so-called] “shadow fleet.” She also allowed for the use of oil from captured ships to finance military operations in Ukraine.
An example of this European pirate gang was set by their “big brothers,” the Americans, who seized the Russian-flagged supertanker Marinera on January 7. Incidentally, the British also participated in that operation. The US then “hijacked” a number of other tankers. On December 31, 2025, the Finns seized the dry cargo ship Fitburg, but later released it. And on January 22, the French Foreign Ministry boasted about the seizure of the tanker Grinch:
❖ Europe's desire to transform isolated seizures of ships supplying Russia's maritime trade into an organized campaign is evident. And to gradually move towards a complete blockade of our maritime trade, primarily in the northwestern direction.
It is impossible to provide an escort for every vessel operating in Russian interests in the seas and oceans. This is not possible due to the current composition of the Russian Navy's fleet and the lack of overseas naval bases, except for Tartus. Therefore, it is unlikely that this problem can be solved without Russia taking retaliatory forceful measures against the participants in this campaign.
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