Die USA gehen gegen Russlands Schattenflotte vor. In der Ostsee sollte Europa nachziehen.

*Submission Statement:* Russia’s shadow fleet enables Moscow to evade sanctions, finance its war in Ukraine, and conduct hybrid operations that threaten critical undersea infrastructure, particularly in the Baltic Sea. While the United States has recently taken a more assertive approach by boarding and seizing suspected vessels, European countries have remained cautious, citing legal constraints under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The Atlantic Council’s Justina Budginaite-Froehly contends that this restraint has become a strategic liability, allowing Russia to exploit legal gray areas while operating unsafe, poorly regulated, and opaque vessels.

The shadow fleet’s activities go beyond commercial shipping, encompassing sanctions evasion, infrastructure probing, and potential sabotage, making it a tool of state power rather than civilian trade. The article notes that several pipelines and cables have already been damaged in the Baltic, notably the Balticonnector gas pipeline, Estlink 2 and other power cables. The author argues that UNCLOS, written for a different era, is being misused by Russia and should be interpreted more broadly to defend its underlying principles. Baltic and Nordic states are portrayed as uniquely well positioned to lead stronger interdiction efforts due to their capabilities and legal frameworks. Ultimately, the report urges Europe to follow the example set by the United States, raising the costs for Russia’s shadow fleet, and contributing to the reform and modernization of maritime law in order to address contemporary hybrid threats.