A NATO commander warned that Estonia would not detain Russian "shadow fleet" ships in the Baltic Sea. He was concerned that if they did, Moscow might defend these vessels militarily.

Britain, along with other European nations such as France, Belgium, and Sweden, has intensified efforts to seize old tankers that Moscow uses to raise vital funds for its four-year conflict against Ukraine.

Estonia, the northernmost Baltic State located near Russia's major oil and fuel export facility in the Gulf of Finland is exercising restraint following an unsuccessful attempt to boarding a Russian vessel?last year.

Ivo Vark, Estonian Navy Commander, said: "The risk is too high of a military escalation."

In May 2025, Estonia claimed that Moscow had sent a fighter plane into NATO airspace above the Baltic Sea in an attempt to stop a non-flagged oil tanker bound for Russia which it believed was ignoring Western sanctions.

The jet escorted a tanker of oil into Russian waters.

CARGO TANKERS AWAIT OIL

Vark stated that since then, Moscow has deployed two or three armed naval vessels to patrol the Gulf of Finland and also more ships in other parts of the Baltic Sea along the routes used by Russian oil tankers.

Vark stated that the Russian military presence in the Gulf of Finland had become more apparent.

Estonia would only intervene in an emergency, such as a damage to underwater infrastructure, or an oil spill, he said.

Vark stated that there is a very low Russian presence in the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. This gives the United States more time to take action against these vessels, as the risks of military engagement are lower.

Reporters on an?Estonian Navy vessel in the Gulf of Finland observed a Russian corvette close to a large number of idle oil tankers waiting for their turn to enter nearby Russian ports and load oil.

According to?Vark, the number of?tankers at Vaindloo anchorage in Estonia's exclusive economy zone has tripled this week from 30-40 as recent Ukrainian drone strikes?on Russian port disrupted their load schedule.

The Kremlin views sanctions as an attempt to cripple its economy and says that its ships are entitled to free passage through the Baltic Sea. It also states that Russia will respond to any attempts to stop their travel. (Reporting and editing by Terje Solsvik, Christina Fincher and Andrius Sytas)

(source: Reuters)