On July 19, over 40 European countries agreed on a plan to destroy Russia's oil "shadow fleet" during the summits of the European Political Community.
Points of attention
- The shadow fleet of the Russian Federation has about 600 vessels and transports up to 1.7 million barrels of oil per day.
- Keir Starmer said that the decision of Ukraine's allies is a powerful signal to limit the actions of the illegitimate president of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin.
- Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz also drew attention to the threats posed by the Russian shadow fleet to Europe and the whole world.
Europe will jointly fight against the Russian shadow fleet
The British government notes that 44 European countries, including the EU, have agreed on a joint fight against using illegal vessels of the Russian "shadow fleet".
The Allies came to a joint conclusion that they "are a serious threat to security and the environment on European waterways."
In addition, it is emphasised that Russia's "shadow fleet" currently has about 600 vessels and is approximately 10% of the world's "wet cargo" fleet.
It carries approximately 1.7 million barrels of oil per day, generating significant funds to fuel the Russian military machine, the British government says.
It is also important to understand that some of these vessels serve as Russian listening stations. In contrast, others transport weapons to an aggressor country for its war of aggression against Ukraine.
The new British PM, Sir Keir Starmer, has already commented on the decision of Ukraine's allies.
According to him, this is a powerful signal for those who help the illegitimate president of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, to circumvent sanctions.
We will not allow Russia's shadow fleet and the dirty money it generates to move freely through European waters and endanger our security.
Sir Keir Starmer
UK Prime Minister
Germany will also strengthen the fight against the Russian "shadow fleet"
Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz officially announced this decision on July 19.
He noted that the Russian Federation was doing everything possible to export oil to finance the war against Ukraine.
In addition, Scholz added that the old tankers that the Russian Federation uses to transport oil pose a risk to the safety of maritime shipping, as well as to the seas and the environment.
"It has already reacted with sanctions. Now we want to join forces in a global coalition to put an end to this shadow fleet," concluded the German leader.
