Zelenskyy: Europe has the right to restrict shipping in the Baltic to counter drones
Europe has the right to restrict shipping in the Baltic, given the evidence that Russia could launch drones from sea tankers, said president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an online speech at the Warsaw Security Forum.
"There is also growing evidence that Russia could have used tankers in the Baltic Sea to launch drones – the same ones that caused serious problems in Northern Europe," the head of state said.
Zelenskyy noted that if the tankers used by Russia serve as platforms for drones, then such vessels should not be allowed to operate freely in the Baltic Sea.
"This is in fact Russia's military activity against European countries, so Europe has the right to close the straits and sea routes to protect itself," the president emphasized.
In the same speech, the head of state invited the partners to create a joint air defense system for protection against threats from Russia.
As of September, Russia's "shadow fleet" consisted of about 940 tankers, which is 17% of the world's total fleet of such oil vessels, the New York Times reported, citing S&P Global Market Intelligence.
After Russia's drone attack on Poland, the country's foreign minister Sikorski proposed to hold coordinated actions against Russia's "shadow fleet" in the Baltic.
- On September 26, Zelenskyy, citing intelligence data, first reported that the Russian Federation could use tankers to launch and control drones across Europe.
- On the same day, the head of state reported that he shared with the prime minister of Denmark Ukrainian intelligence information on incidents with UAVs.
- On September 29, the president said that in the first week of October Ukraine expects the adoption of the 19th package of EU sanctions against Russia, noting that it is especially important for the restrictions to "painfully hit" energy trade, the entire infrastructure of the Moscow tanker fleet.
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