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Russia Deploys Warships to Escort Shadow Fleet Tankers in Gulf of Finland
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Russia’s armed forces have begun escorting shadow fleet oil tankers through the Gulf of Finland, Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen confirmed on May 25.
“The Russian military presence in the region has always been visible, this is not a new feature. However, what is new is that Russia is protecting its shadow fleet tankers in the narrow passage of the Gulf of Finland. Military escort and the presence of armed forces is observed. This is a completely new thing,” Häkkänen stated.
The move comes just days after Finland reported a possible airspace violation by two Russian military aircraft over the Gulf on May 23. The Finnish Defense Ministry noted that Russian aerial activity near the country’s borders has increased significantly since Finland formally joined NATO.
Although only one confirmed airspace violation has occurred in 2025—when a Russian government aircraft briefly entered Finnish airspace near the Hanko Peninsula on February 7—concerns over Russian provocations are growing.
The increased tension follows an earlier maritime confrontation on May 14, when Estonia’s Navy attempted to intercept the Jaguar, a Gabon-flagged oil tanker suspected to be part of Russia’s shadow fleet. The tanker was en route to the Russian port of Primorsk via international waters in the Gulf of Finland.
Estonian forces deployed an AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter, an M28 Skytruck aircraft, and the patrol vessel EML Raju to intercept the vessel. In response, Russia scrambled a Su-35S fighter jet to provide air cover for the tanker.
Despite repeated calls to alter its course, the Jaguar refused to comply and ultimately dropped anchor near Gogland Island in the eastern Baltic Sea.
Estonia’s Ministry of Defense reported that the Russian Su-35S failed to establish radio contact with Estonian air traffic control, in violation of international aviation regulations. NATO forces quickly responded, with Portuguese Air Force F-16s based at Estonia’s Ämari Air Base launching to monitor the situation.
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Just days later, on May 18, Russia detained another tanker, the Green Admire, which had departed from an Estonian port and was headed to Rotterdam carrying shale oil. The vessel, owned by Greek firm Aegean Shipping, was traveling through Russian territorial waters—a route typically used by larger ships to avoid the shallow waters along the Estonian coastline.
The maritime passage is part of a previously agreed-upon route between Estonia, Russia, and Finland. However, these recent developments underscore the growing friction in the Baltic Sea region and the increasingly aggressive posture of Russian forces.
Earlier, a Russian vessel from the shadow fleet, operating under international sanctions, was observed conducting suspicious maneuvers near an undersea power cable linking Poland and Sweden.
Polish naval forces intervened, prompting the vessel to retreat to a Russian port. In response, the Polish Navy deployed its reconnaissance ship ORP Heweliusz to the incident site.
-21d0b63c17f6020e4df75f6c6f9a2f4f.jpg "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
